Gamer of the Sword
by fg7dragon
Summary: What is a gamer and otaku to do when he finds the identity of Emiya Shirou has been bestowed upon him along with the Gamer ability? Grind, exploit and profit, that's what! SI!Shirou. OOC!Shirou. OP!Shirou. Main Shirou/Sakura. Shirou/Harem.
1. Chapter 1

**Emiya Shirou LV 1**

 **The Gamer**

Seeing that upon waking up in foreign body, in a foreign place and even in a foreign time did **not** help one's calm…

" _Though apparently I can't panic past a certain point."_ I realized with a frown _"Must be the_ _ **Gamer's Mind**_ _skill."_

 **+1 INT**

"I'll tale that as a yes." I deadpanned. _"Okay, let's see what I know… I woke up in a fictional world… apparently possessing an ability foreign to this world… though I suppose Gaia exists here as well so it's not that unbelievable. But how did I get here…?"_ I tilted my head and tried to focus on the last thing I remembered before waking up here.

 _Flashback_

" **Allah Akbar!"**

 _Flashback end_

"…" my head dropped. "Death by suicide bomber terrorist. Nice." I remarked sarcastically. _"Okay, so this is either reincarnation or some overpowered asshole – like Zelretch – though it would be fun to put me in this situation and watch me squirm. Could be worse, I suppose."_

 **+1 WIS**

"Glad to see you agree." I murmured. "Let's see what I have to work with. Stats."

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 1 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 100/100**

 **MP: 0/25**

 **HPR: 0% per min**

 **MPR: 0,1% per min**

 **STR: 0**

 **VIT: 0**

 **DEX: 0**

 **INT: 1**

 **WIS: 1**

 **LUCK: 0**

 **Point: 30**

 **Money: 20.000**

"So, I need to assign myself some points." I tilted my head. "I could allocate five to each… but what's the point? I'm going to be a magus, after all, so I should focus more on Intelligence and Wisdom… but, on the other hand, Luck is not something to be dismissed." I considered the pros and cons for a few more minutes before finally distributing the points.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 1 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 175/175**

 **MP: 0/175**

 **HPR: 0,3% per min**

 **MPR: 0,6% per min**

 **STR: 3**

 **VIT: 3**

 **DEX: 3**

 **INT: 7**

 **WIS: 6**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 0**

 **Money: 20.000**

"That's odd… why is my MP still on 0… oh." I blinked. "Right, I need to unlock my Magic Circuits. Let's see… Skills."

 **Gamer's Mind. Passive. LV Max.**

 **Gamer's Body. Passive. LV Max.**

 **Cooking. Active. LV 50.**

 **Cleaning. Active. LV 35.**

 **Structural Analysis. Active. LV 35.**

 **Create Nerve Circuit. Active. LV 20.**

 **Magic Circuits (27). Passive. Sealed.**

Frowning, I tapped the **Magic Circuits** skill.

 **Magic Circuits (27). Passive. Sealed. Magic Circuits are a pseudo-nervous system that spreads itself through the human body and what qualifies a person to be a magus. Access to MP requires unlocked Magic Circuits. The number one is born with cannot increase naturally.**

"As I thought. Oh well, might as well get down to it." I sighed and sat down, closing my eyes.

First of all, I used the **Create Nerve Circuit** skill as I needed to have access to prana or MP if I were to make use of **Structural Analysis** to find my Magic Circuits in a reasonable amount of time. It took me two tries that cost me 5HP each, both the failure and the success, to gain a temporary artificial Circuits. Then, knowing that it would not last long, I drew upon it to use **Structural Analysis** on myself. It took longer than I would have liked, but I did locate my Magic Circuits… or rather the parts of them that connected to my body, as the Circuits themselves were part of my soul.

Then, I took my available prana and essentially shoved it through the 27 Circuits before I began pushing it further and further, increasing my body temperature to greater levels… until I let out a relieved sigh as I felt the connection fully establish, a notice window also informing me that all my Magic Circuits had been unlocked.

 **Magic Circuits (27). Passive. Rank C. LV 1. Magic Circuits are a pseudo-nervous system that spreads itself through the human body and what qualifies a person to be a magus. Access to MP requires unlocked Magic Circuits. The number one is born with cannot increase naturally. Multiplies available MP by the number of existing Circuits and rank of said Circuits.**

I blinked in surprise and tapped **Rank**.

 **E Rank – x1**

 **D Rank – x2**

 **C Rank – x3**

 **B Rank – x5**

 **A Rank – x7**

 **EX Rank – x10**

"Okay, that's pretty damn awesome." I had to admit. "So, my MP gets multiplied by 81… making it 14.175. Very nice. And, given that the skill has both a Level and Rank attached… if I get it to LV Max it will evolve to the next higher rank."

 **+1 INT**

 **+1 WIS**

"Good to get confirmation." I smiled. "Now, I suppose it's time to get out for the day. I don't want to make Kiritsugu suspicious…" I paused as suddenly five years' worth of memories hit me, **Gamer's Mind** thankfully insuring I would not have any trouble processing it. "…oh." I grimaced. "So Kiritsugu died a month ago." I sighed as he left my room and headed to the bathroom to wash up for the day.

While I took a quick shower, I went through what I knew I would have to deal with. For one thing, there was Taiga who would be drop by to check up on me every morning – or rather mooch on breakfast. I – or rather the old Emiya Shirou – had already arranged with her grandfather Raiga to give me my allowance at the beginning of every month and let me do my own shopping unless it was something that needed an adult to help. So, I had to look to 250.000¥ per month until I was 20 and was recognized as an adult in Japan.

And, if the hints I've been getting from Raiga were anything to go by, I could probably keep using 250.000¥ per month from the accounts Kiritsugu left me for the rest of my live and still have a fabulous fortune left over.

" _Which is not too surprising, given the kind of jobs Kiritsugu used to take. The type labeled as suicide by even other Magi… hence why they hired him to do them. And Magi, especially from old families, pay well."_ I thought absently as I headed towards the kitchen and allowed my **Cooking** skill to guide me as I prepared breakfast. I knew how to cook even without it, but I thought it best to not draw attention from Taiga with a different taste in some foods all of a sudden. Not today, at least.

As I expected, Taiga showed up when I was just about finishing breakfast and ate a good three quarters of what I had cooked. Not that I particularly cared. Given the sheer freedom I had with Raiga as my legal guardian, putting up with Taiga was well worth it.

" _Plus, messing with her is going to be hilarious."_ I thought in amusement.

I did learn a few useful things from her, though. Such as how today was the official start of the vacation between school years, making it the beginning of the third week of March. So, I had until the second week of April, a good three weeks or so, before I had to worry about school again.

Which meant I had plenty of time to not only get a handle on my new powers – and life – but also do some grinding! Which led to…

" **ID Create!"** I called out as I used a bit of MP to imitate the protagonist from The Gamer Webtoon.

Sure enough, the colors around me faded slightly as I found myself within an Illusion Barrier or Dungeon as my ability now refers to it.

" **ID Escape!"** I repeated my actions, only with the intent to destroy the Illusion Barrier, causing me to return to the shed I had been practicing in.

A quick check to my Skill window informed me that, for the moment, I could only create and Empty Dungeons – that is, copies of the real worth with me as the only living occupant – as well as destroy them at the low cost of 5 MP. That was fine with me, though. I had already expected it and knew that it was only through practice that be able to level it up. For the time being, though, it was sufficient for my immediate needs.

Hence, I immediately created another Empty ID and left, running like a bat out of hell through the empty streets until I felt I could no longer go on… and then pushed myself further, until I reached the local Gym in the Shinto district thus in the other side of Fuyuki.

 **+1 DEX**

 **+2 VIT**

Nodding in satisfaction, I went inside and began lifting weights. I could not lift much, not at my age and physical ability, but by continuously forcing myself to lift just a little more than I was comfortable with, I gradually increased my STR by 5 points over the course of the next three hours. After that, I left the same way I arrived, running like a madman only I did not head straight home. Rather, I spent the next few hours until late afternoon familiarizing myself with Fuyuki City as I ran all over the place. I only headed home when I was informed by a notice window that I had hit the maximum number of grind points for VIT, 10, while with DEX I had another 5 to go, as with STR, and 8 each with INT and WIS. LUCK… I was unsure if it could be trained, but I did have a few ideas on how to do it.

When I got home, I headed straight to the bathroom and left the Empty ID once I had undressed to take a hot bath. My body may not have been harmed from the strain I put it under today thanks to **Gamer's Body** , but I was still slightly tired and had sweat a lot. Once I got out of the bath feeling a bit more human, I quickly got dressed and headed back to the shed aka my Workshop…

"Yeah, that's go to change. This place is kind of lame." I grimaced. Shaking my head, I sat down on the floor and proceeded to stare pointedly at a wrench…

' **Observe' Skill has been created.**

…until I got that message. Much to my satisfaction, it did not require any use of MP so I could activate it whenever and wherever I wanted to with nobody noticing even if another Magus was right next to me.

"Which is going to be pretty much what I'll be limited to at school given that Rin and Sakura are there as well. Or will be, at least. Guess that's another thing to look into." I mused before setting that thought aside and began using **Observe** on everything around me, every piece of junk in the shed, and eventually even used it on the magic circle Irisviel von Einzbern had used to survive longer and from which I was likely going to summon my Servant for the Grail War from. Probably Saber Artoria like in canon, too, given that I had **Avalon** in me – I had noticed it when looking for my Magic Circuits, but given that I could not do anything with it at the moment, I decided to leave it be.

Unfortunately for me, the circle was far too complex for me at this time so all I got was question marks and the name 'Mysterious Drawing'.

"Very helpful." I deadpanned. "Still, I almost got **Observe** to level 2 so I guess I should reach that point and call it a night." I decided and got back to practicing the skill. Then, once reaching my set goal, I went to my room and went to sleep.

 **You have slept in Your Bed. MP & HP fully restored.**

Smiling in satisfaction at the piece of information, I got up and headed to the bathroom. In truth, confirming this was the reason I slept in the first place. I had already noticed that I had not gotten hungry despite only eating breakfast yesterday and that I did not truly feel tired, neither mentally or physically, so I could probably go on without sleeping.

" _That's what I'll confirm tonight."_ I decided as I went to prepare breakfast. This time, though, I actually put some effort in it and used **Structural Analysis** to assist me in getting everything right, leading me to leveling up Cooking.

At breakfast I also had the pleasant surprise of receiving my funds for the month, the expected 250.000¥, which meant I would have to go shopping soon.

" _I did notice I was beginning to run low on food, but I thought that was just because of Taiga."_ I thought.

Shopping for groceries was indeed the first thing I did that day, but unlike any time before I now had a nigh-infinite Inventory to store everything in once I was out of sight. Furthermore, while in there my stuff was in stasis so I went ahead and bought supplies for two weeks rather than just one, costing me a good 50.000¥. Very expensive, true, but nothing new as while Kiritsugu could not even boil an egg right, he always made sure I had the best ingredients money could buy available for cooking… that and Taiga did eat a lot.

Once grocery shopping was done, I created an Empty ID and headed to the Gym where I worked my ass off to get my STR up the five remaining points I could grind at my current level. then, I went running again until my DEX also hit the limit.

After that, I headed back home for a quick shower after which I went to my shed – I simply could not call it a Workshop – to practice Magecraft a bit. Specifically, **Structural Analysis** and the **Reinforcement** skill I proceeded to create by filling in a few flaws that I found with **Structural Analysis** with some prana. It was not perfect, I had used a vert small amount of prana to avoid having that screw blow up in my hand, but it was still a good first try that I went on to spend the whole night improving upon.

When the alarm clock that I had brought along with me notified that it was 7 a.m. – the time I usually woke up at – I finally stopped working on my Magecraft.

"Hm, so I brought my **Structural Analysis** up to level 39 and my **Reinforcement** to 8. Not bad for a night's work." I decided in satisfaction. "Stats."

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 1 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 425/425**

 **MP: 15.023/16.200**

 **HPR: 1,3% per min**

 **MPR: 0,7% per min**

 **STR: 13**

 **VIT: 13**

 **DEX: 13**

 **INT: 8**

 **WIS: 7**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 0**

 **Money: 220.000**

"Heh, an all-nighter of using Magecraft and I barely scratch my reserves. And it will only get better." I grinned as I headed out to clean up and prepare breakfast. _"And I was right, I didn't need to sleep at all! Heh, this will be really useful once school starts since my free time will be reduced then. From now on, I'll probably only sleep occasionally, usually just to quickly recover my MP and HP."_ I paused mid-step. _"Speaking of recovery, I'll have to see if I can make_ _ **Avalon**_ _work for me if I feed it my prana. It won't work as well as it would for Artoria, I have no illusions of that, but if I can get it to increase my HP regeneration by at least 10% I'll call it a success."_

An hour later, I had fed the tiger and was ready to start my day.

" _The past two days, I've focused on increasing my physical stats. Let's see if I can do the same with my INT and WIS."_ I decided as I entered a library and bought not only the books I would be needing for the upcoming school year, but a good dozen more, costing me around 40.000¥ in total. More importantly though… _"Half of these are Skill Books! And I saw dozens more that I should get later."_ I thought giddily.

My enthusiasm was ground to a halt, however, when the Skill Books proved to be impossible for me to use one after another for the same reason.

 **Insufficient INT.**

As things were, the lowest requirement among them was 20 INT which I knew I would not be able to reach at my level even after grinding that stat to the limit. So, with a heavy heart, it put aside the currently useless books into my Inventory and focused on the regular books that I had bought and began reading and learning from them. It took me the rest of the day to read the first and the whole night to read a second one, but the gains were somewhat worth it given that I got 1 INT point for each of them, bringing my total Intelligence up to 10 points.

I was not too happy with how much time it took me to get those 2 points compared with how much faster I grinded my physical stats, especially given that I knew things would only get harder as I leveled up, but I was patient and cautious enough to not try something reckless such as trying to **Reinforce** my brain to learn faster.

Not until I figured out how to make use of **Avalon** to survive and recover from my brain imploding or the like, at least.

Still, I was not really in the mood to continue reading the next day after feeding the tiger so instead I opened the book on logic puzzles that I had bought and started trying to solve them. It was rather slow going since I had never done this before in either life, but upon managing to solve one of the easy ones I was rewarded with 1 WIS point which made it worth the effort and convinced me to start on another one.

The next morning, I had a satisfied grin as I cooked breakfast. It had taken me a day and night, but I had maxed out my WIS for my level.

"Ne, Shirou. Are you busy today?" Taiga asked after she had stuffed her face to satisfaction.

"Not in particular." I remarked. "Why? Do you need me for something?"

"Mm. Grandpa has a couple bikes that have been malfunctioning." Taiga began. "He was wondering if you can take a look at them and see if you can help, or if they need to be taken to a pro for repairs."

 **Quest**

 **Goal: Repair the Fujimura motorbikes.**

 **Reward: 100 XP / bike.**

 **Accept? Y / N**

"Sure, I'd be glad to." I smiled happily. And I was indeed happy. After all, I finally got a quest.

It was an hour later that the two malfunctioning motorbikes was brought over to my shed by a couple of Raiga's men and left in my care.

"Alright then, let's see what's wrong with them." I mused as I used **Structural Analysis** to find the problem… which turned out to be a couple of wires that were not properly isolated from each-other. It was the work of just a couple minutes to reach them and use some duct tape to insulate them, and then I moved on to analyze the second bike.

In the case of the second bike, things were a tad trickier. For one thing, while it was not outwardly apparent, a couple pieces were bent from a hit in the not too distant past creating a friction that was gradually causing more and more issues. Now, normally this meant those pieces had to be removed and replaced, but that would mean I would not get the full reward from this quest which was frankly unacceptable in my eyes. It was, after all, my first quest and likely the easiest I would get. There was no way I was half-baking it.

So, I moved away from the bike, grabbed a piece of iron and that I had analyzed in the previous days and began feeding it my prana, similarly to **Reinforcement** yet different as I willed its shape to change, succeeding after a while.

' **Alteration' Skill has been created.**

Grinning in satisfaction, I began playing with the same piece for the next hour or so, using **Alteration** to change its shape over and over again until the skill reached level 5. Then, I moved to do the same thing with a bar of steel as it was the same material the two bent components of the bike were made of, and over the next hour got **Alteration** to level 7.

Only then did I feel confident enough to do the same on the bike and, as carefully as possible, I **Altered** the two components back to their previous shape which I knew thanks to **Structural Analysis**.

I did not even need to double-check my work thanks to a window notice informing me that I had completed the quest and received the available 200 XP… which was apparently enough to get me up to Level 3, making me realize that getting only a bike fixed would have lost me a level. Smiling in satisfaction, I went and called the Fujimura residence to come get the bikes and the two men sent left riding them both to move them faster and as to test them.

Once they were gone, I entered an Empty ID and went for a run around town until nightfall at which point I sneaked into the ID's Gym and lifted weights until near morning upon which I returned home, washed up, cooked and had breakfast with Taiga and went for another run and weight-lifting session in the Empty ID until nightfall by which time I had once more maxed out my physical stats. So, upon washing up – and setting the washing machine to wash the clothes in the laundry basket – I went on to read a couple of books until the next morning.

As Taiga was leaving after another delicious breakfast I prepared, I checked my stats as I considered what to do next.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 3 Next Level: 25%**

 **HP: 925/925**

 **MP: 24.300/24.300**

 **HPR: 3,3% per min**

 **MPR: 1,5% per min**

 **STR: 33**

 **VIT: 33**

 **DEX: 33**

 **INT: 12**

 **WIS: 15**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 10**

 **Money: 180.000**

"I think… I'm going to hang onto these points for when may need them later." I decided. "Sure, grinding my INT may seem slow, but it can be done reasonably easy at the moment." I concluded.

 **\+ 1 WIS**

 **\+ 1 INT**

"Thank you." I chuckled. "Still, things _are_ going rather slow, so I need a way to speed up my progress a bit. The question is how…" I tilted my head in thought. "Hm, I was hoping to avoid actual combat for a while, but I suppose it's unavoidable. Now, let's see what I can get… **ID Create!** "

Over the next few hours, I continually created and destroyed Illusion Barriers one after another, switching to more advanced ones as the skill leveled up and new IDs became available but not spending more than a few seconds in them. I only stopped once ran out of MP but I had already hit my goal, with the gaining of the Time-Warping ID at level 11 of **ID Create** but I kept going until level 12 just for kicks.

Then, I spent the rest of the day reading a couple more books in the Time Warping ID that was currently only doubling the time available to me compared to the real world, getting me another 2 INT points.

Unfortunately, I found out that the replica of my bed in the Time-Warping ID would only let me regain 25% of my HP and MP compared to the real thing, so I had to return to the real world and sleep in my own bed for the firs time in several days.

The next week, however, I spent almost entirely in the Time-Warping ID reading and doing logic puzzles, bringing my INT and WIS up to the level limit, only coming out to have breakfast with Taiga and wash up. I also discovered that, while relatively simple compared to some of the stuff I've been reading, doing my assigned homework – as little as it was – granted me 1 point each in both INT and WIS making me realize that going to school was not going to be an obstacle to work around but rather something to take advantage of.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 3 Next Level: 25%**

 **HP: 925/925**

 **MP: 74.925/74.925**

 **HPR: 3,3% per min**

 **MPR: 3,6% per min**

 **STR: 33**

 **VIT: 33**

 **DEX: 33**

 **INT: 37**

 **WIS: 36**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 10**

 **Money: 180.000**

"Well, now that my INT is somewhat up to par, let's try those Skill Books." I decided. "Let's see… there's English Language, French Language, Chinese Language, Greek Language, Latin Language and Arabic Language." My face fell. I was rather unpleasantly reminded that no matter how plentiful those Skill Books may be, them being found in a library meant only certain skills could be learnt from them.

Nevertheless, I still went and learnt them. Chinese required 20 INT since it was closer to the Japanese I already knew than the western languages. English, French, Greek and Arabic required 25 INT while Latin needed 30 likely due to being a dead language. After learning them, though, I realized they were all at LV 1 so I would need to use them to level them up.

"English won't be too hard, given that I'll be learning it at school." I mused. "And there are a few Chinese immigrants living in Fuyuki that I could talk to for that language. The others, though… I suppose reading books in those languages should be good enough at least up to a certain level, but I really don't feel like spending that much money on books I'll only read once. It they were Skill Books, that would be fine since they would be consumed when used, but regular reading… yeah, I guess it's time to get myself a computer." I sighed. "It's surprising Kiritsugu didn't get one given how in touch with technology he was compared to most other Magi, but oh well." I shrugged.

The question now, though, became how to get a computer. I could easily steal one. It would be a simple matter of getting inside a shop at night while in an Empty ID, leave it for the real world, snatch whatever I need and then return to the ID and leave the shop. Avoiding security cameras would take some care but, given that I would know where they are from their useless copies in the ID, it should not be that hard.

Still, I did not feel like resorting to committing crimes. Not yet, at least. And I had been wondering about something for a while now, too, so…

"Let's see if the mobs in those populated IDs drop any money." I decided **ID Create: Skeleton!"**

 **A.N.: Yep, a new story from me who has not updated my other stories in months…**

 **To be honest, I've written this almost two years ago and had it on a different hard drive that I only recently recovered. I did some changes here and there, but nothing dramatic. It was during my Gamer phase when I thought about how cool those Gamer stories were, how few there were and how I should write one myself… that is, until I found out just how annoying it is to keep track of all the skills, stats, levels, etc.**

 **As it is, I'm posting all the chapters I have in one go and will only add one more to end this story. I'm considering a sequel but I'm not promising anything.**

 **Hope you like it. If so, don't be shy and drop a review. If you hate it… well, I probably won't bother to moderate the flamers, but I won't pay much attention to them either.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, this is getting rather boring." I sighed as I sidestepped a clumsy slash from a sword wielded by a Skeleton and punched it in the neck – or rather spine – scoring another critical hit that caused it to collapse int a pile of bones as it died, said bones fading away moments later leaving a small purple gem shard behind that I quickly pocketed.

It was a Soul Stone of the lowest quality, supposedly created from remnants of dozens of human souls that had fused together. Not of any use to me at the moment, but I did have a few ideas of Soul Stones for when I was stronger and more knowledgeable.

What is was disappointed about, however, was how utterly weak the Skeletons and Dragon Tooth Warriors that in this ID were. Skeletons seemed to be between levels 1 and 7 while Dragon Tooth Warriors were between 5 and 10. Which, given my level when I started was just 3, should have meant they were a threat to me.

No such thing. Sure, they did get stronger the higher their level and yes, they tended to have more HP than me… but that meant little when they were so slow I could run circles around then and a hit to their weak point – the spine connecting their heads to their torsos – would at least stun them, if not kill them outright. So far, none of them had needed more than four hits to their weak spot.

The only ones more dangerous to me were those armed with bows and arrows rather than swords, spears or clubs because I would have to dodge their arrows on my way to them which could be a problem as they generally stood back and let the melee fighters slow me down.

Another thing not in my favor was my lack of a weapon which limited my reach. I had tried stealing a sword from one of the Skeletons I took out, but it broke down in my hand as soon as its owner died. Needless to say, since I was supposed to be a walking armory later on in life due to **Unlimited Blade Works** , I was rather peeved by my current deficiency.

" _I'm learning_ _ **Projection**_ _and_ _ **Tracing**_ _as soon as I get out of here."_ I decided.

Leaving the ID was an option available to me at all times, just an **ID Escape** away. However, I wanted to face the Dungeon Boss. I figured that since I was already this powerful compared to the regular mob, I should see what the Boss was like and what kind of loot it dropped before I moved on to a more advanced Dungeon.

Plus, it gave me the opportunity to both level up and train my physical stats at the same time.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 6 Next Level: 60%**

 **HP: 1000/1000**

 **MP: 74.925/74.925**

 **HPR: 3,6% per min**

 **MPR: 3,6% per min**

 **STR: 37**

 **VIT: 36**

 **DEX: 39**

 **INT: 37**

 **WIS: 36**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 25**

 **Money: 180.000**

"Still, I suppose this is an opportunity to create some new skills as well." I decided as I eyed the approaching Dragon Tooth Warrior. I held my hand out towards it, palm outwards and coalesced some of my Prana before giving it a push towards the undead being.

A blast of golden energy occurred as what appeared to be an energy bullet shot from my hand and hit the Dragon Tooth Warrior in the chest, sending it back staggering. It did not kill it, but it did take a chunk from its HP.

' **Mana Bolt' Skill has been created**.

"Good, but not good enough." I mused. _"Hm, The Gamer in the Webtoon went on to create the_ _ **Mana Arrow**_ _skill and more from this point, but if I'm anything like the other Emiya Shirous in the multiverse I have the Elemental Affinity and Origin of Sword. So…"_

Holding my hand out, I willed my Prana to gather again but this time I compressed it into a shape I mentally imposed upon it, and I ended up holding a translucent golden short sword made of energy.

' **Mana Sword' Skill has been created.**

"Now then, let's take it a step further…" I muttered as I willed the blade of the sword in my hand to shift, wrapping around itself to take a form not too different from a drill, only thinner. It was not quite to the level I knew a sword this size could be taken with **Alteration** , but that was not my goal anyway right now.

' **Spiral Mana Sword' Skill has been created.**

"Now, let's see if it's worth anything." I decided as I held it towards the Dragon Tooth Warrior that was only a couple meters away now… to no effect. "Why… oh." I blinked in realization even as I sidestepped the spear stab before stabbing the **Spiral Mana Sword** into the torso of the Dragon Tooth Warrior, killing it. "I suppose I should have expected this… Swords are melee weapons." I sighed. "Still, let's try this again…" I turned my attention towards Skeleton with an axe about seven meters away and focused on manipulation my Prana.

Floating in the air at my side, the **Spiral Sword** appeared and shot at the Skeleton, takin it out in one hit.

"Nice." I grinned as I eyed not the damage but the window that had popped up.

' **Drilling Mana Sword' Skill has been created.**

 **Drilling Mana Sword. Active. LV 1. A long-distance attack skill with increased piercing power by adding a strong spin to a Spiral Mana Sword. Only possible for those talented in manipulating Mana. Cost 5 MP.**

"And it costs just 5 MP. It must be because of my Sword Affinity." I easily concluded. "Now, if I remember right, I would be able to use a second one at Level 3 then add another every 3 levels… but that's with **Spinning Mana Arrow**. Best not make any assumptions and check to see if it actually happens instead." I decided. **"Drilling Mana Sword."** I declared and shot it at a Skeleton with a bow that had just taken a corner towards me, killing it instantly.

Over the next hour or so, I continued to kill the Skeletons and Dragon Tooth Warriors that I ran across either with the **Drilling Mana Sword** or just with a **Mana Sword** I began to wield, gaining the **Sword Mastery** Passive Skill and then rapidly leveling it up – once more thanks to my Element and Origin, most likely. Even better, using the **Drilling Mana Sword** also counted for the **Sword Mastery** since it was still a sword no matter how I reshaped it.

' **Mana Sword' has reached level 10.**

' **Drilling Mana Sword' has reached level 12.**

' **Sword Mastery' has reached level 16.**

But then it happened. A large number of Skeletons and Dragon Tooth Warriors appeared and I prepared to run to find a better place to face them, preferably in smaller groups, when I realized they were not coming towards me. Rather, they were converging in one spot, forming an increasingly large pile…

"Oh fuck." I swore as I realized what was about to happen.

As I feared, the gathered mobs began to glow and merge into a larger skeleton that had a malevolent red aura and a large sword that had a crisscrossed pattern of the same color all over it. All in all, it towered over me at three meters tall.

I did not wait for it to turn towards me. I immediately started shooting **Drilling Mana Swords** at its neck, my current maximum of 5 at a time, even as I moved to position myself behind it, but it was unwilling to cooperate as it tuned to glare at me, crimson flames burning in its eye sockets.

"Damn it, who is this guy? It's a Boss, clearly, but what else?" I grumbled. **"Observe."** I uttered even as I retreated.

 **Skeleton King LV 15**

 **HP: 3000**

 **MP: 1500**

 **Assembly of skeletons full of resentment. When a large number of Skeletons and Dragon Tooth Warriors have been defeated in a short amount of time, the remainder merge to form the Skeleton King to avenger their fallen brethren.**

"Not exactly useful information… then again, I haven't used **Observe** much so it's to be expected it won't give me much at Level 1." I grumbled… and then yelped as I ducked under the crescent of crimson energy the flew from the Skeleton King's swung sword. "So, it has a ranged attack even with a sword!?" I remarked in annoyance. "At least it can't spawn those attacks, it just ate 100 of its MP." I grumbled.

Deciding it was no time to daydream, I began spawning **Drilling Mana Swords** at its neck, elbows and knees to both damage an impair it, making it unable to properly move or attack me. It took longer than I would have liked and I was close to running out of MP when it finally died, leaving behind a **Soul Stone** and a stack of yen.

"Hm, let's see… just 5000¥? Damn, what a cheapskate." I huffed. Storing my loot away, I walked through the now empty Dungeon back to my house, not wanting to suddenly appear on the street. "Stats." I uttered, wanting to see how I was doing after my first fight using skills I created.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 12**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 90%**

 **HP: 1075/1075**

 **MP: 520/74.925**

 **HPR: 3,9% per min**

 **MPR: 3,6% per min**

 **STR: 42**

 **VIT: 39**

 **DEX: 41**

 **INT: 37**

 **WIS: 36**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 55**

 **Money: 185.000**

"Pretty damn good, if I can say so myself." I grinned as I dismissed the window. "Skills."

 **Gamer's Mind. Passive. LV Max.**

 **Gamer's Body. Passive. LV Max.**

 **Cooking. Active. LV 50.**

 **Cleaning. Active. LV 35.**

 **Structural Analysis. Active. LV 39.**

 **Create Nerve Circuit. Active. LV 20.**

 **Magic Circuits (27). Passive. Rank C. LV 5.**

 **Observe. Active. LV 1.**

 **Reinforcement. Active. LV 8.**

 **Alteration. Active. LV 7.**

 **ID Create. Active. LV 12.**

 **ID Escape. Active. LV 12.**

 **English Language. Passive. LV 1.**

 **French Language. Passive. LV 1.**

 **Chinese Language. Passive. LV 1.**

 **Greek Language. Passive. LV 1.**

 **Latin Language. Passive. LV 1.**

 **Arabic Language. Passive. LV 1.**

 **Mana Bolt. Active. LV 1.**

 **Mana Sword. Active. LV 13.**

 **Spiral Mana Sword. Active. LV 1.**

 **Drilling Mana Sword. Active. LV 15.**

 **Sword Mastery. Passive. LV 18.**

"Not bad at all." I concluded. "Still, I should look into a way to recover my MP faster. Hm, maybe some form of meditation? Prana is created when the Mana in the air mixes with the Od from my soul within my Magic Circuits. So, if I learn how to draw more Mana from the air when I'm running low on MP… I trailed off thoughtfully.

 _Timeskip – one week later, Homurahara Academy_

" _Sigh, time sure flies by when you're training hard."_ I mentally grumbled as I listened with one ear to the principal's speech for the beginning of the new school year, I myself starting as a First Year in the Middle School section. _"At least my birthday was enjoyable. Really nice of old man Raiga to organize it for me. And, damn but Taiga is a really funny drunk."_ He chuckled quietly at the memory. _"Still, at least I made some good progress, especially given that the time dilation in the Time Warping ID increases depending on my personal level."_

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Age: 13**

 **Level: 24 Next Level: 10,25%**

 **HP: 3210/3210**

 **MP: 2.975/** **102.667,5**

 **HPR: 20,44% per min**

 **MPR: 5,33% per min**

 **STR: 79,35**

 **VIT: 104,4**

 **DEX: 86,25**

 **INT: 50,7**

 **WIS: 53,3**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Point: 135**

 **Money: 165.000**

" _Hm, since I have nothing better to do while the principal talks, I might as well work on recovering the MP I used up in my morning training."_ I decided. **"Meditation."** I murmured as I half-closed my eyes.

 **Meditation. Passive & Active. LV 11. A basic skill for recovering and refining one's Mana. Passively increased VIT, INT and WIS by 30%. Additional 90% VIT, INT and WIS increase while Active.**

In addition, thanks to his rigorous training his STR, VIT and DEX had reached the 50 points threshold and he had received skills as reward.

 **Superhuman Strength. Passive. LV Max. Passively increases STR by 15%, physical attack power by 10% and physical defense by 10%.**

 **Longevity. Passive. LV Max. Passively increases VIT by 15%, HP Regeneration by 10% and HP by 500.**

 **Swift Structure. Passive. LV Max. Passively increases DEX by 15%, physical reflexes by 10% and attack speed by 10%.**

" _What now, though?"_ I wondered as the principal droned on. My skills were not really something that could be used openly without drawing attention, so trying to get some training in was not really an option. it was not like I had created too many more skills since my first Boss fight, only **Projection** and **Tracing** , the later replacing the former soon enough as it did with **Structural Analysis**.

 **Tracing. Active. LV 50. A skill of both information gathering and construction, Tracing allows the user to not only gain in-depth information on a target such as concept of creation, basic structure, skill of its making, experience of its growth, accumulated years and manufacturing process, but also reproduce those factors in a Projected replica of the target.**

Deciding he really had nothing better to do, I began glancing around and alternating between using **Tracing** and my now Level 5 **Observe** on various items and people around me… before I got an idea.

" _Maybe I can do both at the same time?"_ I wondered thoughtfully. _"I mean, my_ _ **Structural Analysis**_ _joined together with_ _ **Projection**_ _within_ _ **Tracing**_ _, so it's not impossible. Plus, they're both the same kind of skill at their core, information gathering."_ I concluded before turning my attention to someone I already knew so I could somewhat verify the information I got, if any.

' **Akashic Sight' Skill has been gained.**

Had it not been for Gamer's Mind protecting my mind and compartmenting the information I received, my mind would have surely shattered from the sheer wealth of knowledge that became available to me as a summarized yet still enormous history of Ryuudou Issei's life became apparent to me. It not only contained parameters such as HP, MP, STR, VIT, DEX, INT, WIS and LUCK and a short biography as I had hoped, but rather everything there was to be know about him on several levels, including physical and emotional.

But, what somewhat terrified me was that I could now see red lines crisscrossing all over his body with many converging in a single point that was roughly where his heart should be. The Lines and Points of Death.

" _This… did I just get the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception somehow?"_ I wondered in shock before quickly dismissing Issei's data and focusing on the description of the Skill I had just got.

 **Akashic Sight. Passive & Active. LV Max. The ability to gain all available information concerning a target, just as much as the Akashic Record itself would be able to gather from the target. Unlike the Akashic Record, however, the information gained is relevant just for that point in time and potential futures are not accessible. Once used on a target, the record you have of it will be updated automatically regardless of distance at all times. However, for up-to-date knowledge on intimate aspects of a target the Akashic Sight must be used again, once per minute. 1 MP per use.**

" _Intimate?"_ I wondered before glancing back at Issei and, to my great relief, I could no longer see his Lines and Point of Death. _"Oh, thank the Root."_ I sighed.

Still, while initially panicked by the fear of accidentally tracing Issei's Lines of Death at some point, now that I have calmed down I could see the advantages this skill presented.

" _And it's an advantage beyond words."_ I realized. _"With this, I can learn anyone's secrets with just a glance and keep track of them from a distance. Magi would wipe out entire cities, no, countries for this skill!"_ I shuddered. _"And speaking of Magi…"_ my eyes slowly moved towards one Tohsaka Rin who was several meters to my right and a few feet ahead, easily recognizing her twintails.

A devious smile curved my lips.

" **Akashic Sight."** I uttered under my breath… and my smile widened.

 _Timeskip – two weeks later_

"Yes, this will be just the advantage I need for the Grail War." I decided as I stared at the sight before me.

It was a map of Fuyuki that I analyzed and then connected with my **Akashic Sight** allowing me to know real-time the locations of all those I had used **Akashic Sight** on. So far, there were only a few people I deemed important enough that I had managed to catch sight of, them being Tohsaka Rin, Matou Sakura, Matou Shinji, Ryuudou Issei, Fujimura Taiga, Fujimura Raiga, and Kotomine Kirei.

I also wanted to be able to keep track of the walking natural disaster that was Gilgamesh and the worm monster that was Matou Zouken, but the former did not seem to be in Fuyuki currently and the later left his house so rarely it would be a challenge to tag him.

" _Still, knowing where Kotomine is at all times already takes a weight off my shoulders."_ I had to admit to myself. The guy had gotten hit by Kiritsugu's **Origin Bullets** , twice, and still walked. Sure, the second he survived only thanks to Angra Mainyu making him a new heart, but still. Most people got killed by the first, and the few who survived were so crippled they wished they had not.

Exhibit A, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

" _On the other hand, not being able to see his Level and parameters still means he's so much stronger than me."_ I grimaced. It seemed that while **Akashi Sight** was able to gather all there was to know about a target, allowing me access to all that information depended on my own level and the difference between my level and that of the target. _"The fact that Rin as level 35 and Sakura is 32 is not encouraging either."_ I mentally grumbled, my manly pride stinging.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention away from the map, dismissing its window, and to the book on the table before me. It was a Skill Book, one for the Spanish Language, that I had just bought. I was going to learn it, but before that I wanted to check something.

" _ **Trace On."**_ I uttered as I scanned the book and then created a copy of it with **Tracing**. I grabbed the copy and, sure enough, the prompt to learn the **Spanish Language** skill appeared and I accepted, causing the fake Skill Book to shatter and be absorbed by me.

' **Spanish Language' Skill has been gained.**

"Looks like it works." I smirked. "No more money on Skill Books if I can help it, from now on. I just need to make sure I'm not being seen by either people or a camera and I can copy all the Skill Books I need. Hell, I don't even need to learn them on the spot, I can store them in my Inventory and learn them later at home. The projections will last that long, given that the Inventory keeps everything in stasis."

With that in mind, I stored the now unnecessary Skill Boon in my Inventory and moved on to my next experiment.

I brought up Kotomine Kirei's profile and then the section on the man's notable skills. I selected Bajiquan and allowed it to flow into my mind and into blueprint of the Skill Book I had just **Traced** , replacing the data in the book with that from Kirei's profile. Then, when all had been copied over, I used **Tracing** to manifest the modified Skill Book in the physical world.

I gazed at it in satisfaction… which faded somewhat when I found myself unable to use it.

 **Super Bajiquan. Passive. LV Max. Requires 100 STR, 100 VIT, 100 DEX, 50 INT, 50 WIS.**

"Okay, it's not so bad. I can grind the extra points." I decided before storing it in my Inventory. "More importantly, this works. And I can use it." my grin was feral.

A few minutes later, I had a few more faked Skill Books on the table before me.

 **Black Key Mastery. Passive. LV Max. Requires 50 STR, 75 DEX, 25 WIS.**

 **Alchemy. Passive & Active. LV 15. Requires 40 INT, 10 WIS.**

 **Spiritual Evocation. Passive & Active. LV 15. Requires 40 INT, 10 WIS.**

 **Summoning. Active. LV 20. Requires 40 INT, 10 WIS.**

 **Divination. Active. LV 15. Requires 40 INT, 10 WIS.**

 **Necromancy. Passive & Active. LV 15. Requires 40 INT, 15 WIS.**

 **Spiritual Healing. Active. LV 50. Requires 60 INT, 50 WIS.**

 **Baptism Rite. Active. LV 80. Requires 60 INT, 50 WIS.**

"Hm, I need to grind my INT and WIS a bit more to get all of these, but for now I can learn all but **Spiritual Healing and Baptism Rite**." I shrugged and proceeded to learn **Black Key Mastery, Alchemy, Spiritual Evocation. Summoning, Divination** and **Necromancy**.

I considered for a moment doing the same with Rin and Sakura's valuable skills. After all, at this point they were merely strangers, I had no reason to refrain and it was not harming them or taking their skills and leaving them without, but I refrained.

Not out of some moral reason, but rather out of common sense. The two of them were just kids, after all, and would only increase the level of their skills as they grew older and more experienced. And, fact was, I did not know if I was able to use Skill Books that granted a more advanced level of a Skill I already knew. And, frankly, Jewelcraft was a valuable enough skill that I did not want to miss out on learning as much as I could of it a quickly as possible. And the Matou Absorption Magecraft would be in a far higher level when taken from Zouken than Sakura at any point in time as the old worm was never going to teach her as much as he could less she might turn against him.

"Hm, I do believe a trip to London may be a good idea." I began to smirk.

And for good reason, too. The plan was rather simplistic in nature, what with me merely intending to visit the British Museum and use my **Akashic Sight** on all those I identify as Magi.

" _Actually, I don't even need to go inside."_ I decided. _"Staying by the entrance where I can see everyone who goes in and out would be even better."_

With a plan for the summer vacation formed, he promptly set those thought aside. It was, after all, months away. Sure, he would have to get himself a passport, but that should not be too difficult. He had a feeling old man Raiga would be able and willing to help.

"Well, I suppose it's time to get back to grinding. I've wasted enough time staking Kotomine out." I decided. **"ID Create: Ghost!"** I called out and suddenly I had a handful of ghosts within twenty feet of me.

The Ghost Dungeon was the third populated one I could create, the first being the Skeleton Dungeon and the second being the Ghoul Dungeon.

The Skeleton Dungeon was populated by Skeletons and Dragon Tooth Warriors between levels 1 and 10, with the Boss Skeleton King being level 15.

The Ghoul Dungeon was populated by Ghouls, Ghoul Prophets and Ghoul Gluttons between levels 11 and 20, with the Boss Elder Ghoul being level 25.

The Ghost Dungeon that I had just entered, however, was populated be Ghosts, Terror Ghosts and Ancient Ghosts, with the Boss being a Massive Ghost of level 35 that I had faced only once and barely got away alive. The reason? Its attack covered large areas all the damn time so I had to spend more time hiding behind cover than attacking it.

" _This time, though, I what to watch out for. This time I'm ready."_ I thought firmly as I walked out of the replica of my house shooting **Drilling Mana Swords** at every Ghost or variant in sight. _"Also, I've gained_ _ **Meditation**_ _and_ _ **Mana Affinity**_ _since then, boosting my MP Regeneration enough to insure I won't run out of power like last time and be forced to run around like a headless chicken while it regenerated."_ I twitched at the embarrassing memory.

I never even contemplated using the points I had accumulated to strengthen myself. As far as I was concerned, that would mean giving up and losing to a ghost of all things was unacceptable. I knew well enough that if I was willing to use a few of those points, I could increase my INT and WIS enough to learn Kotomine's **Baptism Rite** which would make taking out all manner of undead much, much easier… as soon as I _also_ got some **Black Keys** , of course.

So, I refrained and instead pushed myself harder, thus forcing myself to improve faster.

 _Timeskip – three hours later_

"We meet again, you hideous thing." I said softly as I saw the Massive Ghost form from countless others merging together. "But this time I'm prepared!" I declared even as the Massive Ghost slashed its skeletal hands in my direction, sending ten ghostly crescents of energy.

I did not move from the spot. Instead, I smirked and used the newly learnt **Alchemy** to transform the asphalt in front of me into a wall that tanked the attack.

And then I began bombarding the overgrown specter with 16 **Drilling Mana Swords** at a time, salvo after salvo. My asphalt barrier naturally did not last beyond the second attack from the Massive Ghost, but it was trivial to make a new one and then a third and a fourth. The fifth, however, turned out to be pointless as I managed to kill the Boss before it could attack again.

"Let's see what we have here." I smiled as I approached he loot. "Hm, 50.000¥, not bad, a bigger then usual Soul Stone which is always welcome… and a Skill Book?" I blinked before picking it up. " **Mana Drain** , eh?" I mused as I read the description that popped up. "Let's me steal the MP from my targets and, at higher levels, I can even transfer the MP I'm stealing to allies rather than taking it for myself. Oh yes, this will do nicely." I promptly absorbed it. "Hm, now that I think about it, I never got any Skill Books from the Ghoul Dungeon. Maybe I should head back for a few runs. That **Life Drain** that The Gamer from the Webtoon got from his Zombie Dungeon would be pretty useful, even if he never got around to use it in as far as I followed the series."

Before I could leave the now cleared Ghost Dungeon and call up a Ghoul Dungeon, a window that I had moved aside earlier caught my attention. It had popped up when I had hit level 25 just before the Massive Ghost formed, so I did not have time to check it.

I tapped it… and stared.

' **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)' Skill has been acquired upon reaching Level 25.**


	3. Chapter 3

' **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)' Skill has been acquired upon reaching Level 25.**

I pinched myself. Then I looked again.

' **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)' Skill has been acquired upon reaching Level 25.**

"Yep, still here. I'm not seeing things." I muttered and then tapped the name of my new skill.

 **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake). Active. LV 1. You can summon a portion of a Heroic Spirit from the Throne of Heroes into a container using an appropriate summoning circle. Due to the 'Fake' nature of this Skill, the Heroic Spirit will be incomplete, lacking its ego and be contained in a Class Card rather than a Servant Container. The level of the Heroic Spirit upon summoning depends on the level of the Skill, however the Heroic Spirit shall increase in level the more its Class Card is used. A new Heroic Spirit can be summoned once every 10 Levels of the user. Cost 10.000 MP.**

"So, I can summon one and make a Class Card now and the next will be at level 35." I mused thoughtfully. "Well, that's fine with me. I would need some time to get used to the Class Card I have." I shrugged. "And I just happened to have a certain Heroic Spirit in mind that I would not mind having on hand, for whom I also happen to have a perfect Catalyst." I smirked. "Myself."

 _And hour later – Shed_

It took him a while to clear the portion of the shed that the magic circle Irisviel von Einzbern had once used was inscribed on due to the fact that he had intentionally gathered most of the larger objects stored in the shed right over the thing to conceal it.

An **Observe** also confirmed that the circle in question could be used for the **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)** Skill.

He did not immediately use it, though. He was perfectly aware that if he used it as he was, there was a very good chance that the circle would recognize the **Avalon** within him and give it precedence as a Catalyst for the summoning, just like it tended to happen to other Emiya Shirous in the 5th Grail Wars.

As such, he sat his ass down and slowly but surely located the Sheath of **Excalibur** within himself and extracted it before storing it within his Inventory.

"Now I'm ready." I nodded to myself and stepped up to the summoning circle where I began channeling my Prana into it, focusing on EMIYA in my mind even as I activated the Skill. **"Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)!"** I called out and the circle flashed before the light converged into a small rectangular form and then faded away to reveal an Archer Class Card. **"Observe."**

 **Archer Class Card**

 **LV 1**

 **A Mystic Code that contains a portion of a Heroic Spirit's power. Can be used via 'Include: Limit Expand' to temporarily materialize the weapon or Noble Phantasm of the Hero and 'Install: Phantasm Summon' to grant the Noble Phantasm, Skills, and appearance of the Heroic Spirit to the user by overwriting their own existence with that of the Hero. 'Include' costs 10MP per minute; 'Install' costs 100MP per minute.**

"Hm, I assume that's just the cost of maintaining the **Include** and **Install**. Making use of the available abilities of the Noble Phantasm and Hero must obviously cost more." I remarked as I picked up the Archer Class Card. "Well, no point in waiting around. **ID Create.** " It waited for a few moments for the Illusion Barrier to form before continuing. **"Include."** It uttered as I pushed some prana into the Card, causing it to transform into a black bow. "Hm, not bad, not bad at all." I mused as I used **Tracing** on the bow. "This material… is definitely something I'll want to reproduce." I concluded before cutting off the prana flow, returning the Class Card to my hand. **"Install."** I intoned as I pushed a larger amount of prana into the Card that was assimilated into me causing my entire body to glow.

I could both see and feel the difference as soon as the transformation ended. I was now clad I the black armor with red cloak of Counter Guardian EMIYA. A quickly **Projected** mirror allowed me to have a better look, but I quickly dismissed it to focus on my Stats.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou / EMIYA**

 **Class: The Gamer, Archer**

 **Age: 13 / 34**

 **Level: 25 / 1 Next Level: 10,25% / 0%**

 **HP: 3210/** **3210**

 **MP: 101.690,875/** **107.800,875**

 **HPR: 20,44% per min**

 **MPR: 5,33% per min**

 **STRENGTH: 200 (D)**

 **ENDURANCE: 300 (C)**

 **AGILITY: 300 (C)**

 **MANA: 400 (B)**

 **LUCK: 100 (E)**

 **N. PHANTASM: 100~1500 (E~A++)**

 **Points: 0**

"Interesting… now, if I remember right, an E-rank parameter means of a Servant is the equivalent of 10 times the maximum achievable by a normal human athlete, without magecraft enhancement of course." I mused. "So, apparently, in terms of my Gamer ability, E-rank equals 100 points. Damn, I really have a way to go before I can even consider taking on a Servant on my own." I sighed.

Windows began to pop up.

' **Magecraft' Skill has been gained.**

' **Clairvoyance' Skill has been gained.**

' **Eye of the Mind (True)' Skill has been gained.**

' **Independent Action' Skill has been gained.**

' **Magic Resistance' Skill has been gained.**

' **Reality Marble: Unlimited Blade Works' has been Unlocked.**

"Hm, these are the Skills EMIYA would have when summoned. I suppose it's only natural I can used them when having essentially merged with him, if only temporarily." I mused.

' **Tracing' has reached LV Max.**

"What."

' **Reinforcement' has reached LV Max.**

' **Alteration' has reached LV Max.**

' **Elemental Affinity: Sword' has been Unlocked.**

' **Origin: Sword' has been Unlocked.**

' **Incarnation: Sword' Skill has been Unlocked.**

' **Reality Marble: Unlimited Blade Works' has been updated with new blueprints.**

' **Faker' Title has been gained.**

"…" I stared at the notices before dismissing them and ending the **Install**. "Stats." I commanded.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker**

 **Age: 13**

 **Level: 25 Next Level: 10,25%**

 **HP: 3210** **3210**

 **MP: 97.580,875/** **107.800,875**

 **HPR: 20,44% per min**

 **MPR: 5,33% per min**

 **STR: 79,35**

 **VIT: 104,4**

 **DEX: 86,25**

 **INT: 50,7**

 **WIS: 53,3**

 **LUCK: 10**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 135**

 **Money: 165.000**

I quickly dismissed the window and called up my Skill Window, immediately zeroing in on the Tracing and the new additions.

 **Tracing. Active. LV Max.**

 **Reinforcement. Active. LV Max.**

 **Alteration. Active. LV Max.**

 **Incarnation: Sword. Passive. LV Max.**

 **Magecraft. Passive. LV 30.**

 **Clairvoyance. Active. LV 60.**

 **Eye of the Mind (True). Passive. LV 80.**

 **Independent Action. Passive. LV 80.**

 **Magic Resistance. Passive. LV 5.**

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Okay, calm down." I told myself. "There is obviously a logical explanation for all this. Other Emiya Shirou would gradually synchronize with EMIYA just by proximity over a week or so, enough to manifest his own Reality Marble. Literally merging with EMIYA would naturally speed up the process." I reasoned.

I remained like that for a few more moments before I deemed myself ready to take a good look at my unexpected gains. **Tracing, Reinforcement** and **Alteration** I knew, so I moved on to the next one.

 **Incarnation: Sword. Passive. LV Max. By possessing identical Elemental Affinity and Origin of Sword, you are an Incarnation of the very concept of Sword. Any action performed while using a sword will now grant you 1000% more experience and any effects involving a sword will be 500% more potent.**

"…I'll go on a limb and guess I haven't been benefiting from this until now because I had not gone through the effort of actually identifying my Element and Origin." I deadpanned. "Well, I can at least expect massive progress from here on."

 **Magecraft. Passive. LV 30. A composite skill combining the essential basics of Magecraft. Includes Basic Alchemy, Basic Bounded Fields, Basic Mental Interference, Basic Runes and Basic Formalcraft. Advancement of individual Skills that compose 'Magecraft' will level up this skill a well.**

"Hm, not bad." I nodded in satisfaction. "I had been planning on learning a few of these."

 **Clairvoyance. Active. LV 60. It is a visual ability that is also called 'Eagle Eye'. This is generally a must-have ability of the Archer class. It is also frequently used during scouting. Simply looking from a high location is sufficient to fully survey a town and search for enemies. In addition, Clairvoyance will affect the accuracy of bows. It connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons. At current level, you are capable of keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of four kilometers.**

"Hm, pretty good." I mused. "Hopefully, I will help even when I'm not using a bow."

 **Eye of the Mind (True). Passive. LV 80. It is a heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline and experience. A danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent's activity and change the current situation. At current level, you are capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament.**

"Well, given what trouble I'm going to get in, this Skill could very well save my life." I sighed.

 **Independent Action. Passive. LV 80. It is an ability that lessens Gaia's rejection of your abilities that make use of MP while in the real world. Furthermore, it lessens the maintenance cost of using a Class Card by 80%.**

"Huh, I was wondering what use this would be to a human." I blinked.

 **Magic Resistance. Passive. LV 5. The ability to resist magic effects and even cancel spells altogether. Increases by 1% for every 10 points in WIS and INT.**

"So, I need to get my INT and WIS to 1000 to be completely immune to magic, eh? I suppose it's worth the effort. Though it will take quite a while. I'll need to be around level 100." I muttered thoughtfully.

 **Reality Marble: Unlimited Blade Works. Passive & Active. LV 1. An Innate Bounded Field that focuses on having one's inner world materialized and projected onto reality following the World Egg theory. Unlimited Blade Works records any and all bladed weapon automatically you see either directly or in someone else's memories and can also record non-bladed melee weapons as well as shields and armors if you take the time to properly analyze them with Tracing. The blueprints of the contents of Unlimited Blade Works are available to be materialized with Tracing even without the deployment of the Reality Marble. Requires skill LV 25 for materialization within user's body and LV 50 for materialization upon the World.**

"Hm, so for now it only stores my blueprints. Fair enough." I nodded to myself. "Well, I suppose it's time to start leveling it up. _**Trace on.**_ " I uttered and a **Black Key** appeared in my hand.

 _Timeskip – a month later_

"Oh, just die already! **Drilling Exorcism Swords**!" I called out as 27 spinning swords of energy manifested around me and shot at the newly manifested Massive Ghost, putting it down before it could even begin to attack.

' **Drilling Exorcism Swords' has reached LV 81.**

' **Sword Mastery' has reached LV Max.**

 **You have increased in Level by 1.**

"About damn time." I sighed.

It had been quite a while since I had gained my first Class Card and the benefits of that particular Card, but contrary to my expectations my progress had not been that phenomenal due to the simple fact that the higher my level and that of my skills got, the harder it was to go beyond that.

Case in point, I had been trying to get my **Sword Mastery** to its Max Level for a month now and even with the bonus from being a **Sword Incarnation** I only just reached my goal.

At first, I thought that attempting to train it in higher level Dungeons would be better, but I quickly realized that not only was it slower due to it taking me longer to kill the Golems in the Lv 31-40 Dungeon, but my **Sword Mastery** was advancing at the same rate per kill I had with the Ghosts in the previous dungeon so I went back to hunt the spooks.

To make things even faster and more efficient, I managed to upgrade my **Drilling Mana Swords** into **Drilling Exorcism Swords** using knowledge that I gleamed from **Black Keys** , making them more effective against demons, undead and spiritual beings. Meaning that it would work against Servants in the Grail War as well.

Frankly, I was _really_ happy I was apparently able to edit the attribute of my best attack spell, rather than having to invent the altered version I wanted from scratch. Especially since I had in mind further alterations for it later on, once I knew more about magecraft. It was powerful, true, and it would get even more so as I got stronger and leveled it up to add more arrows. With the new LV 81 I would be able to create and fire 28 at the same time and at LV Max which was 100 I would be able to fire 34.

The problem was not power. It was speed. As fast of my **Drilling Exorcism Swords** were, they were not at the level where I believed they would be able to hit an even slightly competent Servant. The monsters in the Dungeons were slow, and while the Ghosts moved faster than the rest – not having any weight of their own will do that – I could still run circles around them with my current speed which was not anything to brag about in Servant terms.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 13**

 **Level: 33 Next Level: 0,03%**

 **HP: 6943,75/** **6943,75**

 **MP: 210.315,875/** **439.495,875**

 **HPR: 35,375% per min**

 **MPR: 34,56% per min**

 **STR: 155,25**

 **VIT: 253,75**

 **DEX: 236,9**

 **INT: 206,7**

 **WIS: 145,6**

 **LUCK: 42**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 180**

 **Money: 865.000**

After killing the Massive Ghost Boss for what must have been a hundred times – perhaps even more – I had gained the **Undead Slayer** title which gave me a 50% increase in attack and defense power when facing undead beings.

I had also gotten the **Mana Affinity** when my base INT hit 50.

 **Mana Affinity. Passive. LV Max. Technique that allows the user to become more sensitive to Mana and handle it better. +10% MPR; +5%MP; +5% Magic Attack; +5% Magic Defense; +30% MP related skill effects.**

Though, if I were to be honest, it was the fact that I managed to find a way to increase my LUCK parameter that I appreciated the most in all my recent progress.

It had started with a Quest.

 _Flashback_

"Hm, what was that, Tiger?" I inquired as I moved my eyes away from the book I had been reading.

" **Don't call me tiger!"** Taiga yelled as usual and I could swear I heard a roar in the background.

"Right, right." I nodded. "You were saying?"

"You need to get out of the house, Shirou. It's not healthy to do nothing all day but study or watch TV." Taiga lectured.

" _I would be massacring undead right now if you had not started to show up here more often."_ I rolled my eyes. In truth, I appreciated Taiga intentions, as I had begun to lose touch with people given how much time I've been spending in Illusion Barriers. "I do get out of the house. I work out every morning after I wake up. See?" I pulled back my sleeve and flexed my muscles. It was nothing dramatic, I was still 13 so my body simply did not have enough muscle mass to draw attention, but for my age I was clearly ahead of the curve.

"…Yeah." Taiga admitted after a few moments. "But you need to have fun! You're a teenager! Gramps has more fun than you!"

"Well, I don't have underlings to order or mess around with." I shrugged.

"He does do that a lot, doesn't he?" Taiga grumbled. "Don't you have any friends to play with?"

"Well, Issei is my best friend…" I began.

"Perfect! Issei is a good kid." Taiga said quickly.

"…and he lives up at the Ryuudou Temple. He's also training to become a Buddhist Monk in his spare time. Are you suggesting I join him? I don't think I would look good, shaved bald." I remarked.

"Ugh." Taiga groaned.

"And, before you ask, the other kids at school I'm on good terms with but… not really close. They feel kind of childish to me. Maybe when I'm older." I offered absently as I turned the page.

"Fine, if you can't have fun with kids your age, maybe older… yeah, who am I kidding. Older teens are focused on other things and wouldn't want to hang out with a little kid." Taiga sighed.

"Like dating and sex." I agreed with her.

"Yeah, like dating and… whoa!" Taiga jumped in shock, turning wide eyes towards me. "Where did you learn about sex?"

"…Taiga, we're in the 21st century. It would be more surprising for a guy my age to _not_ know about sex." I deadpanned. _"Well, I was 14 the first time around, but it's close enough I guess."_

"R-Really?" she asked in surprise.

"Speaking of which, let me know when you get a boyfriend, yeah? I need to give him the 'Shovel Talk'." I told her.

"Shovel…?" Taiga blinked.

"You don't need to know the details. It's a guy thing." I gave her my best smile.

"…" Taiga squinted at me. "Why do I get the feeling you're lying?"

"Because you're too stressed out and need to get yourself a boyfriend to relive some of it?" I offered.

"W-What are you saying, Shirou?" Taiga spluttered blushing.

"Hm, let me put it this way." I nodded and turned towards her, placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her my best deadpan look. "Taiga. You need to get laid."

"…" Taiga made like a boiled crab and was left spluttering as I returned to my book.

"My love life aside…" Taiga began after a few minutes, having calmed down.

"Or lack of it." I pointed out.

"…that is not the problem here." Taiga gritted her teeth.

"Yes, yes, I need to have 'fun'." I rolled my eyes and made quote signs. "What do you suggest? I plan on getting a computer soon, so a game console would not…"

" **Fine!"** Taiga exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "If you can't have fun like a little kid, then you can do it like an adult!"

"…I think that while it's biologically possible for me at this point, it's illegal." I said slowly with a pointed glance towards my crotch.

"Not that kind of fun!" Taiga exclaimed, red-faced.

"A strip club?" I tilted my head.

"No!"

"I suppose I can give drinking a try…"

"No, no, stop!" she flayed her arms in panic.

"Then what _do_ you have in mind?" I rolled my eyes. _"Personally, I would not say not to any of the three I listed."_

"Games. Adult games! Poker! Gramps is holding a poker game with a few other people either from his group or neighbors he invites over, every Saturday night." Taiga said quickly, before he could blow her mind with anything else. "I always have a standing invitation and he told me I can bring in someone I really trust. I only play occasionally because I'm not really good at it." she admitted.

"And they clean you out." I nodded in understanding. "What's the buy-in?"

"Er, 50.000¥, but you don't need to…" Taiga began.

"No, no, it's only fair I pay like everyone else. Besides, if I win I'll have more money to play with next time and I lose badly I doubt I'll want to play again to I'll only lose 50.000¥." I assured her. "But do you really think old man Raiga will let me play?"

"Sure, I've been playing on and off since I was ten and there have been kids around your age every now and then that came with their parents. Gramps won't mind." Taiga assured him.

 **Quest**

 **Goal: Play at the Fujimura's Saturday Night Poker Game.**

 **Secondary Goal: Win.**

 **Tertiary Goal: Find a safe way to cheat.**

 **Reward: 5000XP**

 **Secondary Reward: 500XP / Win**

 **Tertiary Reward: 1000 XP**

 **Accept? Y / N**

 _Five hours later_

"I have to admit, I had some doubts when Taiga-chan brought you but it looks like you do know how to play pretty well." Old man Raiga, the Yakuza Boss of the Fujimura Group sent a pleased smile Shirou's way.

"Yeah, I've played before a bit." I admitted. "Taiga was right, I really am having fun." I grinned.

My winnings so far were nothing spectacular, I won some and lost some hands, but I did stay at the table longer than most. I had around 90.000¥ worth of chips left in front of me and the playing was over for the night. Rather than play until only one person was left with money, Raiga was considerate enough with the rules to play on a time limit. At midnight, the poker game was over regardless who was in the lead. This rule was particularly helpful given that most of the participants would want to play again in a week and if they lost 50.000¥ per week they would start having financial troubles.

I also appreciated the rule because it allowed me to make sure I made some winnings and left with more money than I had brought, but not everything so nobody would suspect me of cheating when I kept cleaning house each and every time.

Obviously, I was cheating. How else could I calculate a way to leave with more money than I came with, but not too much to upset people. **Tracing** allowed me to know who would get what cards even before they were distributed after the deck was shuffled.

And, more importantly, I got points in LUCK when I won. At the beginning for every victory, then for every two and so on the higher my LUCK parameter got.

 _Flashback end_

After that first night, I became a regular. The weekly Poker Game became a source of not just money and points in LUCK, but also XP as the Quest was repeatable, minus the part about cheating.

" _I probably got more XP in the game four days ago then I did killing monsters in the Dungeons since the game."_ I admitted to myself.

Shaking my head, I left the now cleared Ghost Dungeon and entered an Empty one under time dilation, currently at 3:1 inside to outside ratio.

"Okay, I got my **Sword Mastery** to the Max Level just like I set out to do. Time for my next short-term goal. A defensive skill." I muttered to myself.

It was something I clearly lacked. Sure, I could **Trace** shields from **Unlimited Blade Works** and **Rho Aias** seemed just as resilient as advertised when I tested it, but frankly I needed something that did not depend on my Reality Marble to work. Not that I was setting it aside, God no, I trained in using it every day for at least an hour and it was at LV 15 right now. But it may come a time when I can't use my Reality Marble for some reason, perhaps to not risk getting a Sealing Designation from the Clock Tower when around their Magi, and I did not want to be left helpless.

That, and I did not want to be like other Emiya Shirous whose only accomplishment as a Magus was having a Reality Marble, especially since it was something they got by accident rather than worked for it.

"A Shield or Barrier of some sort." I mused to myself. "Hm, let's start with the basics…" I began emitting and shaping my prana until I found myself inside a nearly complete transparent sphere.

' **Mana Shield' Skill has been created.**

"Good. **Mana Shield**." I called out and this time a perfect sphere manifested around me before I dismissed it. "Now, let's improve it." I decided as I closed my eyes and reached inside myself at **Avalon** , analyzing it and calling upon portions of its blueprint before imposing them upon my **Mana Shield**.

' **Utopia Shield' Skill has been created.**

"Excellent!" I grinned at the sight of the now blue-tinted sphere.

 **Utopia Shield. Passive. Rank E. LV 1. A defensive skill using mana that has been imbued with the powers of the Fae Realm. Blocks a portion of the impact of an attack. Costs 100 MP to activate. Costs 100 MP per min to maintain.**

"Great. Now I just need to spend a few years leveling it up. Not." I snorted. While good and definitely promising, this was not exactly what I needed. Thus, I reached inside me again, this time within **Unlimited Blade Works** , for the sword **Avalon** was meant to contain, **Excalibur**. As always, I found it at the top of the only hill in my inner world and grasped its blueprint before drawing out the portions I had interest in to use at this time. Then, as I began imposing that portion of the blueprint upon my news spell, I also willed the shape of the shield to change, the blueish sphere shrinking and wrapping around me until it was like second layer of skin… which became ethereally golden for a moment before turning near invisible, only my eyes which could perceive Mana being able to perceive it.

' **Utopia of Victory' Skill has been created.**

 **Utopia of Victory. Active. Rank E. LV 1. A defensive and offensive skill imbued with the powers of both the Fae Realm and Gaia. Blocks a portion of the impact of an attack. Can be further charged with the lights of the planet for increased defense and offense as the lights will harm those that come in contact with it that the user has deemed as enemies. At higher levels, the gathered lights can be used for long-range attacks. At current level, the gathered lights will block up to 1000 extra damage. Costs 500 MP to activate. Costs 100 MP per min to maintain. Gathering lights does not cost MP due to it being a Blessing of Gaia, however lights can only be gathered while stationary.**

"Fufufufufu!" I cackled. _"I hit the jackpot!"_ mentally cheered. _"I knew it would work! How could it not when The Gamer ability was given to me by Gaia in the first place? Of_ _ **course**_ _other powers connected to Gaia would be compatible to at least some extent."_

It took me a few more minutes to come down from my excitement height. Remembering the other experiment that I wanted to do kinda killed my amusement. Still, it was necessary for my growth and continued survival, so I had to get it over with.

Sighing, I created a **Mana Sword** … and promptly stabbed myself with it. repeatedly until my HP went down to about 2000.

The reason for this was simple: I was about to create and test a healing skill and it would be useless if I were at full health or if my passive regeneration healed me faster than my spell did.

Ignoring the pain which my **Gamer's Body** snuffed out rather quickly anyway as well as the other notice I got, I focused on **Avalon's** blueprint again and borrowed a different portion this time, which I infused in the prana I gathered in the palm of my hand that turned golden before I pressed it against my abdomen even as I eyed my HP bar carefully.

I was instantly healed 500 HP.

' **Utopia Cure' Skill has been created.**

Rather than stop, I repeated my actions and this time drew upon the same portion of blueprint from **Avalon** and a portion of blueprint from **Excalibur** as I infused them into the prana I gathered, only I did not press it into my body. Rather, I had it wrap around my body and stay there even after I as no longer maintaining it with my hands.

' **Utopia Blessing' Skill has been created.**

But my eyes were focused on my stats, specifically on my HP Regeneration rate which had gotten a 1% increase.

"Okay, let's see what I've got." I first turned my attention to the notice from where I stabbed myself.

' **Physical Endurance' Skill has been created.**

"Of _course_ it has." I deadpanned.

 **Physical Endurance. Passive. LV 1. The body's durability increases and you take less damage from physical attacks. Currently 3% decrease in damage from physical attacks.**

"…I'll go on a limb and guess the reason I haven't got this before is due to only being hit by Ghosts who are not physical." I sighed before focusing on what I really cared about.

 **Utopia Cure. Active. Rank E. LV 1. A healing skill imbued with the power of the Fae Realm. Instantly heals 500 HP. At higher ranks, it may cure diseases and dispel curses. Cost 100 MP.**

 **Utopia Blessing. Active. Rank E. LV 1. A long-term regeneration buff skill imbued with the powers of both the Fae Realm and Gaia. At current level, it lasts five minutes. The target's HP and MP Regeneration increase by 1% per minute. At higher ranks, it may cure diseases and dispel curses as well as revive those killed while under the effects of this skill. Cost 100 MP.**

"Well, it worked. Now comes the hard part: putting them in practical use to level them up." I groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

" _Okay, it's official. It's time for Matou fucking Zouken to die."_ I thought angrily as I caught sight the status effect Matou Sakura was currently suffering from.

 **Raped**.

Perhaps against my better judgement, I had approached Sakura and helped her out when I found her being bullied by a few older kids who were making fun of her hair color and pushing the dead-eyed girl around for their cruel entertainment – and by help her out, I mean kicking the assess of those brats.

After that, she had gradually warmed up to me until she spent most of her free time around me, both at school in the breaks between classed and outside school at my house. I could see the growing crush she had towards me and while it was a bit awkward due to her age, I did not discourage it as I also took quite the liking to her. That, and I knew what a sensational beauty she would grow up into.

That had been over a year ago, when I was barely 13 and she was 12. Taiga had found it cute and took Sakura under her wing as well, silently cheering her on and running interference when Matou Shinji, Sakura's older adoptive brother made trouble like the brat he was.

I had known just how unpleasant Sakura's home life was. Having used **Akashic Sight** on her, her history was laid bare for me. Unfortunately, I also knew I was not ready to save her from it, not when she had not only Zouken's Crest Worms throughout her body and the Black Lesser Grail in her heart but also the crest worm containing most of Zouken's soul right next to her heart.

As such, I was forced to keep my mouth shut, my temper down and not make any moves towards Zouken and his wretched worms until I was absolutely sure I was ready.

But now, though? I may not be certain my abilities were up to snuff to making _everything_ right, but I would be damned if I could not at least end that wretched old worm, Zouken.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 14**

 **Level: 67 Next Level: 10,57%**

 **HP: 41.156,25/41.156,25**

 **MP: 4.945.834,6875/4.945.834,6875**

 **HPR: 172,225% per min**

 **MPR: 154,93% per min**

 **STR: 765,85**

 **VIT: 1622,25**

 **DEX: 771,15**

 **INT: 1395,65**

 **WIS: 1349,3**

 **LUCK: 728,75**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 330**

 **Money: 558.482.000**

His Gamer ability has reminded him once more just how broken it was not long after he had developed his **Avalon** -based skills. First, it had been via the skill **Hero Material** when all his base stats – that is, without the boosts they got from his various other skills – had hit 100 points.

 **Hero Material. Passive. LV Max. You have reached the minimum level in all stats (E Rank) to be recognized as a potential Hero. Gain Passive +100% in STR, VIT, DEX, INT, WIS and LUCK.**

It had not been too long after that, that some of his base stats hit the 250 points threshold and he got bonuses for it just like when they had hit 50 points.

 **Heroic Strength. Passive. LV Max. Gain Passive +50% STR.**

 **Heroic Vitality. Passive. LV Max. Gain Passive +50% VIT.**

 **Heroic Dexterity. Passive. LV Max. Gain Passive +50% DEX.**

 **Heroic Intelligence. Passive. LV Max. Gain Passive +50% INT.**

 **Heroic Wisdom. Passive. LV Max. Gain Passive +50% WIS.**

 **Heroic Luck. Passive. LV Max. Gain Passive +50% LUCK.**

Needless to say, after the first stat to hit the threshold, he put in an effort to grind the others to the same level.

However, without a shred of doubt, the skill that he had benefited the most from and which he had put much effort into leveling up to the max was **Meditation**.

 **Meditation. Passive & Active. LV Max. A basic skill for recovering and refining one's Mana. Passively increased VIT, INT and WIS by 250%. Additional 300% VIT, INT and WIS increase while Active.**

The Quality of my 27 Magic Circuits had also gone up a rank, thanks to all the practice I did with them both while performing Magecraft and during the use of **Meditation** when I focused on working them over to draw more of the Mana in the air into them and mix it with my Od to create Prana. Once the C ranked **Magic Circuits (27)** skill had hit LV Max at 100, it had been upgraded into the B ranked **Magic Circuits (27)** thanks to which my MP was calculated as INT*25*27*5 rather than the INT*25*27*3 that it was before.

I had also gotten 4 more Class Cards. First, of course, had been Saber Artoria Pendragon. The reason was simple: if I got into trouble beyond what I could get myself out of, installing this Class Card would instantly heal me thanks to still having **Avalon** implanted inside me and, for the same reason it would prevent me from incurring any further wounds.

An Excaliblast also tended to get rid of most obstacles.

Unfortunately, learning the skills of the King of Knights was not as easy as it had been with EMIYA. I was not nearly as compatible with her. That being said, I could learn her skills at a lower rank. I got **Riding** at 40, same with **Charisma** and **Instinct.** **Mana Burst** , on the other hand, I got at 60 thanks to my mastery of **Reinforcement.**

 **Charisma** made it easier for me in social situations, especially when I started helping out here and there across Fuyuki, which allowed me to gradually level it up.

 **Instinct** , however, was harder at first… until I began fighting blindfolded while having my **Utopia Blessing** and **Utopia of Victory** , after which it leveled up rather quickly and was now level 70.

 **Mana Burst** however I had not worked with much, so it was still in lower C rank. Not that I did not like the skill, quite the contrary… but using it made it _too_ easy in battle, not allowing me to grind my other skills, so I had to shelve it for the time being.

The next Class Card I got was the Caster Paracelsus von Hohenheim using a **Traced** **Sword of Paracelsus** as a Catalyst. The reason I chose him was simple: he could make **Philosopher Stones** and Homunculi. The later ability I needed for Illya given that he body was failing from far too many modifications, but the former… well, who _wouldn't_ want a **Philosopher Stone**?

Unfortunately, the **Philosopher Stone** Skill required INT and WIS of 1500 so even now it was out of my reach. I did, however, get **Item Construction** at level Max thanks to my Gamer ability recognizing my **Tracing** as a similar skill. **Territory Creation** , however, was merely at 25, due to my poor skills with Bounded Fields and lack of an actual workshop.

Similarly, the **Elemental** skill was merely at level 10 due to my lack of experience with the so-called Five Great Elements.

 **High-Speed Incantation** , however, I managed to get at level 90 due to my high DEX, INT and WIS. Which meant I could fire my spells almost instantly rather than with the few seconds delay he was used to. Unfortunately, due to him lacking any spells that had actual incantations beyond the **Baptism Rite** , it had remained at level 90 since he had already mastered the **Baptism Rite** and did not feel like putting in the effort again.

The next Class Card had been a gamble. I am willing to admit as much. Having found stored away in the attic some of Irisviel von Einzbern's clothes and remembering how a Servant version of her was available to be summoned in the 'Fate Grand Order' game, I took a risk and used some of her clothing – the white-furred winter outfit she wore during the 4th Grail War – as a Catalyst.

Perhaps it was due to my high LUCK stat, but I indeed summoned a Caster Class Card of Irisviel von Einzbern as an incarnation of the Holy Grail.

Her **Territory Creation** and **Item Construction** skills I already had – in the case of the later at even higher level than her – but I did get some new recipes and blueprints so it was not a total loss. Her **Healing Magecraft** skill was decidedly inferior to my **Avalon** -based **Utopia Cure** , but I learnt it at Max level nonetheless – who knew when it could prove useful?

But then came the **Child of Nature** and **Divine Core** skills that were available for me to learn, blindsiding me completely. After all, the former was characteristic for beings born from the planet itself, these days only on the Reverse Side of the World while the later was for Gods and Demigods. In the end, I concluded it was due to my Game Ability being an ability of divine nature granted to me by Gaia, while my **Gamer's Body** certainly meant I was at least partially inhuman. So, learn them I did, though I still had no idea how to level them up.

However, the fact that I got them both at D rank level 1 cleared something up for me: the relations of non-human skills to ranks. I had suspected it for some time already, but non-human powers were deemed so far beyond human limit that they were also divided by ranks, not just levels.

I was a tad surprised this version of Irisviel also had the **Heaven's Feel** and **Connection to the Root** skills given that I expected the dark version of her to have them, but I set such thoughts aside at I tried to learn them… only to change my mind when I discovered that rather than the rank C it was possible to learn them, my stats at that time only allowed for a Rank E. As such, I was still waiting for my VIT, INT and WIS to hit 1500 points so I could get those two extremely valuable skills as advanced as I could since I was unsure how to level them up to upgrade them.

The last Class Card I had obtained with **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)** – which was currently at level 3 – it had taken a lot of time for me to locate a Catalyst within **Unlimited Blade Works**. The sword itself did not have any special powers. It had publicly used on a grand total of 1 occasions worth mentioning. It did not even have a name of its own. What made it special, however, was who it belonged to: Solomon, the King of Magic.

Brought into my hands under the Caster Class, the Solomon Class Card was, quite simply, frightening given how it could nullify or take control with **Solomon's Ring** of any Magecraft that did not have a divine nature as all other Magecraft was known to be based on Solomon's own teachings. Never mind the **Clairvoyance** so powerful it would allow to gaze into both past and future and the **Summoning** that could summon the 72 Demon Gods.

Alas, I could not even begin learning **Solomon's Ring** due to lacking the requirement: a Magic Crest, one of the 72 Solomon had bestowed upon his 72 most talented children which also existed in the present. For the same reason, while I could learn **Summoning** it would be at a low level. So, I decided to be content with using the Class Card when I needed those two skills – for now, at least.

I did, however, get the **Revelation** Skill at level Max – apparently the constant messages I got thanks to my Gamer ability were close enough to being revelations from God. My **Clairvoyance** also got a boost up to level 85 from the 65 it had been at, allowing me now to gaze into the past to an extent.

All in all, while I was rather confident that my own powers were sufficient to save Sakura from Zouken, the five Class Cards I had so far – Solomon in particular – were some damn good safety blankets.

"Sakura, I need your help with something after school. Can you come by my place?" I said calmly – concealing the volcanic wrath I felt towards her adoptive family as to not scare her – after approaching her.

"…Yes, I would love to sempai." Sakura smiled, more than happy to have a reason to not return home sooner.

"Great." I smiled before perking up as the bell rang. "See you later." I told her before heading to class.

 **Quest**

 **Goal: Save Matou Sakura from her abusive family.**

 **Secondary Goal: Kill her abusers.**

 **Tertiary Goal: Arrange for Matou Sakura to be placed in safe custody.**

 **Reward: 150.000XP, improved relationship with Matou Sakura.**

 **Secondary Reward: 50.000XP per Matou killed.**

 **Tertiary Goal: 100.000XP, improved relationship with Matou Sakura.**

 **Accept? Y / N**

 **Quest**

 **Goal: Free Matou Sakura from Angra Mainyu's taint.**

 **Secondary Goal: Grant Matou Sakura control over the darkness within her.**

 **Reward: 1.000.000XP, improved relationship with Matou Sakura.**

 **Secondary Reward: 500.000XP.**

 **Accept? Y / N**

 **Quest**

 **Goal: Insure Matou Sakura receives the Matou Magecraft Legacy.**

 **Reward: 100.000XP.**

 **Accept? Y / N**

 **Quest**

 **Goal: Restore Matou Sakura's body to full health.**

 **Secondary Goal: improve her body as per her desires.**

 **Reward: 100.000XP, improved relationship with Matou Sakura.**

 **Secondary Reward: 50.000XP, improved relationship with Matou Sakura.**

 **Accept? Y / N**

I wasted no time accepting them all. It was a no-brainer, after all.

As such, as soon as classes ended for the day, I casually led Sakura home after putting a compulsion on Taiga to find something else to do for the evening other than drop by my house… and promptly knocked Sakura out the moment I had closed the door behind me.

" **ID Create: Stasis!"** I immediately called out.

Had I bothered to look at the sky outside, I would have seen a few birds frozen in mid-air. This particular Illusion Dungeon was something I had only recently unlocked and was quite happy about as it essentially placed all within outside time. As long as this ID existed, no time would pass in the real world. The only downside was that due to both how new it was to me and how fragrantly it disregarded the laws of the World, it cost a whooping 75.000 MP per second to maintain, meaning I could only keep it up for a minute or so at my current reserves.

That being said, I was still recovering more MP per minute than I was using up so I could still afford to keep this ID up for that time and use other MP consuming skills at the same time.

Still, there was no time to waste. I quickly laid Sakura on the floor on her back even as I cut her upper clothes with a quickly made **Mana Sword** to reveal her bare chest. I took all of a second to decide on an appropriate course of action before **Tracing** a red spear that dripped in bloodlust.

" **Gae Bolg."** I uttered softly as I thrusted it towards Sakura, the fake world around me momentarily freezing as even more bloodlust exploded from the cursed demonic spear as it found itself impaling Sakura's heart and, more importantly, the Black Lesser Grail and the Crest Worm the held Zouken's soul.

A moment later I dismissed **Gae Bolg** and retrieved from my Inventory **Avalon** which I immediately shoved inside Sakura followed by **Installing** the Saber Artoria Pendragon Class Card. Then, he bestowed **Utopia Blessing** of D rank upon Sakura followed by repeatedly hitting her with **Utopia Cure** until her wound closed and she was back to full health.

Rather than stop there, though, he used **Akashic Sight** to locate the crest worms within her body and hit their **Points of Death** with needles he **Traced** , removing them from existence. Naturally, this did quite a bit of damage to Sakura given that some of those Crest Worms had been in her body so long they had integrated into her nervous system.

However, the combined miraculous healing powers of **Avalon** , **Utopia Blessing** and **Utopia Cure** insured the damage did not last for more then a second or two before it was not only undone but restored Sakura's body to an entirely human state.

Her body was restored to full health and her body freed from Zouken's influence within 45 seconds – though her eye and hair color remained the same as the process they had been altered was alchemic in nature with Zouken essentially blood-adopting her so that she could inherit the Matou Magecraft – but the B ranked **Instinct** of the Saber Class Card warned me something was amiss so I quickly examined the recent changes in her profile that I could see with **Akashic Sight** and discovered the problem – an alarming one at that.

With the Black Lesser Grail destroyed, the influence of Angra Mainyu was no longer contained and was spilling out into the rest of her body. Under my very eyes, Sakura's already pale skin became even paler as crimson lines began to spread from her chest.

"Hell no." I scowled. **"Install."** I was soon clad in a male version of the **Dress of Heaven** as I was now using Irisviel's Card **"Trace On!"** I continued as **Rule Breaker** appeared in my right hand and I immediately stabbed it into Sakura's chest, where the cursed power was spreading from. **"Rule Breaker!"** I called out and felt the tethers of the curses onto Sakura be severed.

Normally, I could do no more than that. Medea had her vast knowledge of Magecraft available hence why she could take control of the spells she severed rather than just let them fade away, but I did not. However, I did have something that could compensate, something I could cheat with

" **Heaven's Feel! Connection to the Root!"** I called out in quick succession, using the former to essentially grasp the dark power before it could fade away and the later to reshape it and place it under Sakura's command now that its ties with Angra Mainyu had been cut.

Another check-over with **Akashic Sight** assured me that everything was alright.

" **ID Escape."** I stated, ending the Stasis Illusion Barrier before continuing with **"ID Create: Time Warping."** After all, just because the worse had passed, that did not mean everything had been dealt with. I quickly picked Sakura up and carried her to my room where I set her on my bed – I had gotten around to buying one, it simply felt more comfortable than using a futon – and quickly cleaned her up and repaired her clothing before retrieving **Avalon** from within her and reapplying **Utopia Blessing** just to be sure she would be alright.

Once I was certain she would be alright at least until I returned, I quickly made ended the **Install** and made my way out of the house and over to the Matou Manor and then inside it, down into the dungeon basement that was Zouken's Workshop. As I was still within the Illusion Barrier, no obstacle whatsoever slowed my advance.

Once there, I took a moment to cast **Utopia Blessing** on myself followed by **Utopia of Victory** and then charged them up with as many of the World's lights I currently could. My next step was to **Trace** four **Black Keys** for each hand, following which I positioned myself in a corner to ensure nothing would blindside me. Lastly, I **Included** the Solomon Caster Class Card to gain his 10 **Rings of Solomon**.

" **ID Escape."** I whispered and suddenly found myself in a nightmarish scene, looking at Zouken in the center of a room full up to waist level with Crest Worms.

The old man had definitely seen better days, large chunks of his body were missing revealing he was actually a conglomerate of Crest Worms himself. From what I could gather in the few moments I used **Akashic Sight** on him, he was experiencing the backlash of having the majority of his soul destroyed and was trying to compensate by having the remaining Crest Worms that held portions of his soul converging into the body he was using to move around, to regain some stability.

I was not going to allow that to happen. Now that I had seen him with **Akashic Sight** , my map would be able to track all his wretched fragments wherever he had hidden them across Fuyuki so there was no need to risk waiting for the old worm to recall his soul fragments.

Before he could fully turn around as he felt my intrusion – from his Crest Worms being destroyed by the combined effects of my high **Magic Resistance** skill that canceling out the magic of the familiars and my **Utopia of Victory** whose lights was burning the worms away – I had already hit him with the four **Black Keys** in my left hand.

"… **Y-You!"** Zouken shrieked.

" _ **Ask for forgiveness here. I, the incarnation, will swear.— Kyrie eleison."**_ I incanted, having been able to greatly shorten the incantation of the **Baptism Rite** thanks to my **High-Speed Incantation** skill. As I spoke, Zouken was engulfed by holy azure flames which quickly spread across the entire dungeon as I chanted. Then, as I finished by impaling Zouken with my remaining 4 **Black Keys** , the azure flames were extinguished leaving behind only ash.

I took a moment to check Zouken's profile and, as I had expected, there were a couple Crest Worms containing portions of his soul had still existed within Fuyuki. However, they appeared stunned by the shock of losing the larger portion of the Magus' soul so I had a good few days before I had to worry about them so much as moving from where they were.

Suffice to say, I had every intention of getting rid of them both by nightfall.

Until, however, I did have other goals within this manor. First, I made my way over to where Zouken had been and picked up the loot I had gained from killing him. A large **Soul Stone** , a good fifty million yen, a handful of high-grade Mana Regeneration Potions and, the cream of the top, 98% of the Matou Magic Crest, leading me to believe that his remaining soul fragments each had 1%.

Storing it all in my inventory, I quickly made my way first through the Workshop using the **Ring of Solomon** to avoid being affected by the various Bounded Fields – though my **Magic Resistance** was likely enough to cancel them out anyway – and stealing every regent or book I found stashed away in the underground complex – and given that I kept using **Tracing** , nothing was missed.

Afterwards, I made my way upstairs and into Zouken's study. There, after checking Zouken's profile and using **Tracing** on his writing utensils, it was simplicity itself to forge an official document such as a will that designated Sakura as the heir of the Matou fortune as well as assigning Fujimura Raiga as her and Shinji's legal guardian, outright stating that Matou Byakuya was not an appropriate guardian due to his alcoholism and violent tendencies.

Entering another **Time-Warping ID** , I quickly made my way to the city hall and filed in the will, making it look like it had been there for some good couple years. Afterwards, I dropped by Zouken's lawyer and modified his memories so that he would remember filing in that will at Zouken's instructions.

On my way home, I detoured by the locations of Zouken's remaining soul-carrying Crest Worms and killed them, retrieving the remaining 2% of the Matou Magic Crest, and then by the Fujimura estate to modify Raiga's memories to make him 'remember' grudgingly agreeing to take Sakura and Shinji under his care should Zouken die before they finish highschool, as well as guiding his intentions towards having them live with Shirou with Taiga checking up on them since Sakura was already friends with him and Shinji would likely prefer to stay near his sister.

Then, upon returning home and checking up on Sakura, I quickly made another **Time-Warping ID** and went back to the Matou Manor. By this time, Shinji had come back from school and his father Byakuya was also there – he had been there earlier, but I had not seen any urgency to see him – so I quickly placed a powerful compulsion on the drunk and made my way back down into Zouken's Workshop. After all, it would be suspicious if Zouken died but there was no body left behind, at least for the normal authorities.

Thankfully, Zouken kept a few unfortunate bastards stored away alive in his Workshop and it was simplicity itself to use alchemy and a few hair and blood samples from Byakuya to make him look like Zouken. Then, I dressed him up in some of Zouken's clothes and made him go upstairs while I checked again in case there was anything left in the Workshop. What was but I found useless, I destroyed along with the majority of the Bounded Fields, just in case the police came down here to check, though I did let a Bounded Field up to discourage them.

Entering the **Time-Warping ID** again, I made my way back to my house. This time, I took the chance to look at the notices that I had been getting.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Sakura Matou has been freed from her abusive family. +150.000XP. Relationship with Matou Sakura has improved.**

 **You Killed Matou Zouken. You Killed Matou Shinji. You Killed Matou Byakuya. +150.000XP.**

 **You have arranged for a new home for Matou Sakura. +100.000XP. Relationship with Matou Sakura has improved.**

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Matou Sakura has been freed of Angra Mainyu's taint. +1.000.000XP. Relationship with Matou Sakura has improved.**

 **Matou Sakura now has control over the curses within her. +500.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

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" _Hm, it seems Byakuya killed his brat and himself, just as instructed. Good."_ I smirked. _"And what a nice chunk of XP I got, too! I leveled up 30 times!"_ I mentally cheered. _"And to think it's not even over yet!"_

I soon arrived back at my house and returned to the real world. As I had hoped, Sakura was still unconscious thanks to the pressure point I had hit to knock her out, something I was immensely grateful for as I undressed her completely and proceeded to use the **Spiritual Healing** I had copied over from Kotomine to implant the Matou Magic Crest onto Sakura's body, making use of a bit of **Heaven's Feel** and **Connection to the Root** with the Irisviel Class Card to insure there would be no rejection and that Sakura would be able to access it as soon as she liked, and a **Utopia Blessing** and several **Utopia Cure** to get her to recover from the operation within seconds while normally it would take days or even weeks, given how the Matou Magic Crest was composed of 100 Magic Circuits despite none having been added since Zouken did as he had not intention of passing it on to his descendants.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Matou Sakura has inherited the Matou Magecraft Legacy. +100.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

Nodding to myself, I opened up Sakura's profile and began looking for what she saw as desirable for her body to look like. There was no way I was giving up that much XP. It took me a while since it was not quite well defined, but essentially it boiled down to her wanting to look in a way I liked due to her crush on me which would have gotten even stronger due to today's events.

Thinking to myself, I considered just what I found attractive in a woman and how that could apply to an older Sakura before nodding to myself and using the Irisviel Class Card again to input a certain development path for Sakura's body. It was nothings spectacular, she would have grown up as a beauty even under Zouken's care. All I did was promote an extra bit of growth once she hits a certain age as well as encouraging some extra health and a tinge of supernatural beauty.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Matou Sakura's body has been restored to full health. +100.000XP. Relationship with Matou Sakura has improved.**

 **Matou Sakura's body has been improved as per her desires. +50.000XP. Relationship with Matou Sakura has improved.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

"Nice." I mused. "So, I hit level 100 thanks to all this."

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 14**

 **Level: 100 Next Level: 22,36%**

 **HP: 41.156,25/41.156,25**

 **MP: 4.945.834,6875/4.945.834,6875**

 **HPR: 172,225% per min**

 **MPR: 154,93% per min**

 **STR: 765,85**

 **VIT: 1622,25**

 **DEX: 771,15**

 **INT: 1395,65**

 **WIS: 1349,3**

 **LUCK: 728,75**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 495**

 **Money: 608.482.000**

"Hm, if I were to spend some points, I could get **Philosopher Stone** , **Heaven's Feel** and **Connection to the Root** right this moment." I mused before shrugging. I had resolved myself to hold onto those points until I had an actual emergency before me or something like that, and I would not give in to mere temptation. Besides, it would not be _that_ hard to get the required points in INT and WIS, not with the passive boosts I got from some of my skills.

Setting those thoughts aside, I remembered Sakura was still naked after the implantation of the Matou Magic Crest, so I picked up her panties to begin dressing her up…

And that was when Sakura saw fit to wake up.

I froze as our eyes met and got deathly pale when her eyes began to wander around before locking onto my left hand which was holding her panties… at which point she also realized she was bare-ass naked in front of me, on my bed no less.

"…There is a perfectly logical explanation for this." I began nervously at the sight of Sakura's eyes going wide.


	5. Chapter 5

As one would expect upon waking up in such circumstances – _especially_ after the rape she had endured at the hands of Byakuya and Shinji the previous night – Sakura was more than just a little panicked and distrustful at the beginning.

It was all washed away when I told her that he had gotten rid of the Crest Worms in her body. Suffice to say, I have never seen her happier than the moment she verified and realized Zouken's disgusting familiars were no longer infesting her body.

That happiness, however, was turned to fear when she realized that Zouken would let this stand and begged me to run away, telling me that she could handle Zouken's anger by herself. I was touched, she truly cared for me enough to sacrifice herself to Zouken to protect me… that, and she truly had crippling self-worth issues that would need to be addressed.

I quickly put an end to her fears by telling that Zouken had died at my hand and that the other two male Matou were also dead for what they had recently done to her. At first, she was in denial – after Kariya's failure in the Grail War, the mere idea of Zouken being killed was an illusion she did not even dare contemplate – however the proof I presented her both floored her and convinced her Zouken was well and truly dead.

There was no other way in existence that the old worm would have the Matou Magic Crest taken from him unless it was from his cold dead fingers… or cooling ashes, as I told her had been the case. She was also less broken up about Byakuya and Shinji than I had feared both due to the recent new form of abuse that they had inflicted upon her and from the lack of repeated humiliation that had all but utterly crushed the self-esteem and self-worth of the Canon Sakura.

Her biggest concern was what was going to happen to her now, as she would rather not like to end up in the custody of yet another amoral magus since it was likely only such people would associate themselves with Zouken enough for him to use them as a contingency plan. I quickly put her concerns to rest by explaining what I had done to insure her freedom.

Over the next couple weeks, things got a bit hectic however the police investigation easily reached the conclusion I had wanted them to: that the drunk Byakuya had murdered his father and son and then, upon realizing what he had done, ended his own life. With the amount of alcohol in Byakuya's system, it was less of a question on why he did it and more on why had he not done something like this sooner. Zouken's forged will also collaborated to the story, painting Byakuya as a violent drunk that should not be trusted with children.

The only point of contention had been letting the Fujimura take custody of Sakura given that they were Yakuza, but Raiga's contacts and reputation as a respectable family man outside business smoothed things out well enough and by the third week Sakura had moved in with Shirou, what little she cared about her belongings – mostly her school books and uniforms – had been brought over and set in her new room.

As far as my relationship with Sakura went, things were rather swell. She was not too surprised that I was a magus, having sensed my prana on several objects around the house in the time she had been coming over but had decided to not bring it up both to not upset him by revealing she knew his secret and to not bring attention to her own involvement in the supernatural world.

This was a wake-up call for me, given that I had not realize I was slipping like this and promised to myself to do better, at least to avoid drawing Rin's attention. While on her own she was not that much of a problem and could easily be either persuaded – read bribed – or tricked into not making too much of a fuss about me being a magus in the city she was Second Owner of, Kotomine being her guardian and the reports either he or her sent to the Clocktower would be rather problematic due to the simple fact that I was an Emiya. I already had the Einzbern out for my blood and had my loli stepsister and her mountain of a Servant scheduled to murder me during the 5th Grail War, so I would rather not make things worse for myself if I could help it.

With Sakura made aware of my magus identity, however, I saw no reason to not bring her in on at least some of my plans for future events such as the 5th Grail War which she confirmed that Zouken was already aware it would occur early, if only not how early.

As such, I used my Gamer ability to invite her into a Party to not only get an objective view of her current skills, but also to begin helping her grow stronger. At first, she was rather reticent to involve her further into the supernatural world, but after I pointed out that she would be forced to participate as the Matou Master in the Grail War and that it was better to be strong and prepared than weak and ignorant no matter how much she wanted to get involved in magecraft, she caved in.

 **Name: Matou Sakura**

 **Class: The Hollow Shadow**

 **Age: 13**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 650/ 650**

 **MP: 857.500/ 857.500**

 **HPR: 2,2% per min**

 **MPR: 4,6% per min**

 **STR: 7**

 **VIT: 22**

 **DEX: 5**

 **INT: 35**

 **WIS: 46**

 **LUCK: 3**

 **Elemental Affinity: Hollow (Imaginary Numbers), Water**

 **Origin: Hollow**

 **Point: 0**

 **Money: 50.000**

"Well, you're not bad for your current level." I remarked.

"Really?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Yeah. When I was level 10 like you, I may have had my STR, VIT and DEX around 40 each but that was due to not having much magecraft to work with so I had to focus on my physical training." I explained. "My INT was just a couple points higher and your WIS is a good 10 points ahead of what mine was."

"What about LUCK?" Sakura asked softly.

"I had 10 and it didn't go any higher until I found out how to improve it when I was in the upper 20's level-wise." I assured her.

"What level are you at now?" Sakura blinked.

"I turned 100 yesterday." I replied, prompting her to gaze at me in awe with stars in he eyes. "But levels don't really matter as much, in the end."

"What do you mean?" Sakura frowned.

"The level we're at merely sets a limit on how much we can improve ourselves stat-wise. We can only gain up to 10 points per level in any stat without using the Star Points received when leveling up, which I had avoided so far." I explained. "In your case, given that you had no start-up points to assign, you have a limit of 50 points in any stat at the moment."

"So, I can gain only 4 more points in WIS." Sakura frowned.

"Yes. But, either way, you should focus on your physical stats for now. Your INT and WIS are good enough, but your VIT directly influences your HP. It doesn't really matter how smart you are and how you can think of a hundred ways to beat your opponents if you lack the ability to apply them and get killed in one hit." I told her before adding when she looked ashamed "Hey, don't worry about it. You're just starting out, so it's to be expected that your stats are low in some fields. You can only get better from here on."

"Right." Sakura nodded.

"Now, your DEX is your lowest stat so let's work on increasing it first." I suggested.

"Okay." She quickly agreed.

"Let's start with sprint around Fuyuki." I told her.

"E-Eh?" she started to sweat.

"Don't worry about drawing attention, nobody will see us. Also, don't worry about pushing yourself too far. I can heal anything you may strain in this exercise in moments." I gave her an encouraging smile that unnerved her further **"ID Create: Time-Warping."**

 _Timeskip – several months later_

"Must you go?" Sakura frowned as she gave me her best glare.

I actually found it more adorable than intimidating.

"Must? No. Would it be in my interest to go? Absolutely." I shot back as I went through the pointless process of packing a small travel bag. I only did it because it would look suspicious to Taiga if I left on my little trip empty-handed when I would be away for a week or so. I had every intention of shoving my back into my Inventory as soon as I was out of sight. "Come on, I've been on dangerous trips before. I've told you how I staked out the entrance to the Clock Tower in London a few months before we even met."

"Yes, and if you were caught all you would have to deal with would have been some nosy magi curious what a young magus was trying to do!" Sakura exclaimed. "What you're doing now is walking straight into the nest of a Dead Apostle Ancestor that has another of his kind visiting! Not to mention that the White Princess is likely to be on her way if not already there, as are the Church. The fact that the city is under the control of a few families that have Oni blood in their veins is nothing to scoff at either!"

"All true. Still going, though." I told her in a tone of finality.

"Then I…"

"No. You are staying here." I cut her off firmly. "Sakura, I'm proud of how stronger you've gotten in the past several months. You're a Level 30 now while many magi your age are still in the lower 20's. But Level 30 is not nearly enough to take on a Dead Apostle Ancestor, let alone two. Hell, if you catch Roa's attention, he could take you out just by swarming you with his minions."

"…Fine. But be safe. And _don't_ get bitten." Sakura deflated.

"I'll have **Utopia of Victory** active at all times during the night." I assured her as I lowered my head and kissed her softly on the lips.

Our relationship had grown past 'best friends' and 'crushes' into the 'boyfriend and girlfriend' stage a few weeks ago. Frankly, it was because of me that we were even taking things so slow. If it were up to Sakura, we would have been intimate for months already. However, I still felt like a pedophile when I thought of having sex with the fourteen-year-old girl, so I was hoping to hold her off for another year. 15 was the age I remembered losing my virginity in my past life, so I figured I should not take Sakura up on her advances until then… regardless how increasingly unsubtle said advances have been getting.

"…Okay. Be safe." Sakura whispered as she hugged me tightly.

"I'm always one command away from jumping into an Illusion Barrier if things get too hot for me." I reminded her. "Speaking of 'too hot'…"

"Stay away from Kotomine Kirei and King Gilgamesh, yes, I remember." Sakura nodded.

"And try not to kill Rin either. The Grail might already have trouble recognizing you as a Matou given that you were born a Tohsaka. Without Rin around, you would be the only candidate for the Tohsaka Master spot as well a for the Matou Master spot." I added dryly.

It had not taken long after I had saved her from the Matou for Sakura to begin exhibit intense dislike for her estranged older sister Rin. For good reason, too. While Rin was leaning the Magecraft she wanted at her own pace with the tentative guidance of Kotomine, Sakura was forced to learn a Magecraft she didn't want and outfight hated at Zouken's pace. Furthermore, Rin did her absolute best to actively avoid Sakura like the plague, even back when anyone with a brain and eyes to see could tell she was not exactly alright. Strangers would dismiss it as not their business, but Rin, her sister if estranged, had no excuse or at least not checking up on her _once_.

I knew the Tohsaka Heiress was not a _bad_ person, per say, however she had a tendency of ignoring what did not fit with their ideal of reality, just like magi liked to ignore technology. And the fact that she basically abandoned Sakura to the wolves – or rather worms – without so much as checking to see if she was alright did not win her any favors in my book. Hell, if she had done at least a cursive investigation on what was happening to Sakura and complained to Kotomine, chances were the Fake Priest would have used it as an excuse to kill off Zouken, no matter how much enjoyment he would have gotten from Sakura's suffering.

That being said, I still did not actually wish the girl harm and was perfectly content to ignore her for the most part. Sakura… not so much.

"…Fine." Sakura pouted.

"Well, I'm off. See you soon." I told her as I picked up my bag and headed out, a few words exchanged with Taiga persuading her that no, I did not need her to basically hold my and help me get to the bus station, allowing me to leave alone.

"Hoh, leaving, are you?"

"King Gilgamesh." I gave the crimson eyed blond man that appeared in my path a nod in greeting. "There is something happening outside the city that caught my attention, so I'll be away for a while."

It had not been long after the Matous had been dealt with and Sakura moved in with me that Gilgamesh had shown up to snoop around, curious on what had really happened to the old worm and his spawn. I had immediately taken the chance to us **Akashic Sight** on him as I had hoped to do for over a year yet never got the chance, but the situation was not favorable for me given that the Incarnated Servant was essentially a world-killer even without **Ea**.

Thankfully, the King of Heroes had his ego appeased by me recognizing him on sight and greeting him with the appropriate title and was rather amused by my honest summary of what had happened to the three male Matou. Amused enough to not tell Kotomine of my involvement and merely tell the Fake Priest that someone holding a grudge for Zouken had ended his line, leaving Sakura alive behind simply because she was not born a Matou and could thus not inherit the Matou Magic Crest which was notably missing as far a everyone knew.

Since then, I had had a few encounters with Gilgamesh which thankfully were merely verbal spars at most.

"Oh, something interesting?"

"A Dead Apostle Ancestor that chose repeated reincarnation over longevity, one that possessed a Reality Marble containing up to 666 souls of beasts and one True Ancestor all in the same town. How could I resist?" I smirked slightly.

"A True Ancestor? As in, the last one?" Gilgamesh appeared interested.

"Yes, the White Princess herself is hunting the one who stole a portion of her power centuries ago." I explained.

"Intriguing." Gilgamesh mused. "Still, it would be boorish of me to interfere in another's fight. Perhaps another time, she may face the One True King." He decided.

"Well, neither of you are going anywhere so you have all the time in the world, I suppose." I shrugged, making sure, as always, not to give any hints that I knew about the upcoming early Grail War or Gilgamesh's plans for it. Interference in his fun was not something he would tolerate.

"Indeed." The blond man pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Do bring me a souvenir, boy." He uttered as he turned and left.

" _A souvenir from a battle royal between vampires? Is he for real?"_ my eye twitched before I calmed myself and continued on my way to the bus station.

My attempts to learn skills from the profile of Gilgamesh that I had seen thanks to **Akashic Sight** had had interesting results.

For one thing, his **Independent Action** of A+ rank has allowed my LV 80 one to advance to LV Max. His **Magic Resistance** was however pitiful compared to my own so I did not improve any in that. His **Collector** skill, however, was quite welcomed as it increased the rare loot drop rate I got by 100%, it being at LV Max for me. Similarly, **Golden Rule** I also got at LV Max and have since been getting ten times more money from the mobs I killed, with a +100 LUCK stat boost as well.

It was with **Divinity** that things had gotten interesting. For one thing, I only got it at E rank no matter what I did. For another, gaining it had boosted my **Divine Core** skill that I had gotten from the Irisviel Caster Class Card from D rank to C rank. On its own, **Divinity** gave me a boost in all my forms of attack power, essentially giving my attacks more 'weight' as far as the World was concerned.

And then came **Charisma** … which made my social life more than a little awkward for a time before I learnt how to partially seal it. Why did it make things awkward? Because from Gilgamesh's A+ ranked **Charisma** I got mine at LV Max, meaning that it was less popularity and more of a curse in itself, making people flock to me. And, while I appreciated the attention of girls around my age and a little older – I was male, after all – it was rather creepy to see those _looks_ from preteen girls or old women. The less said about men, the better. Thankfully, I managed to seal it off at merely LV 60 which still have me quite a bit of sway over people but without being overbearing.

With the surprising effects of **Divinity** on **Divine Core** – which, when you think about it, was not _that_ surprising – I decided to try again with another source of **Divinity** , this time via a Class Card.

Berserker Heracles.

As I expected, by trying to learn his A ranked **Divinity** skill my own went up a rank to D rank while my **Divine Core** skill became B rank.

I also gained the **Bravery** skill from him at Lv 40, obviously adjusted for my own mentality and experiences, which gave me a boost in all physical stats – that is STR, VIT and DEX – when facing an opponent that was 25 levels or more above me.

 **Eye of the Mind (False)** was unfortunately impossible for me to learn due to already having the **True** version of it from EMIYA, however given that the effects were essentially the same and it was the same rank I was not particularly bothered.

 **Mad Enhancement** I outright refused to learn. I had no need for a skill that made me a danger to myself and those around me, not when the boost I would get was negligible.

 **Battle** **Continuation** , though, that I did want. And, while my LV 40 was a far cry from Heracles Rank A, being able to shrug off the effects of injuries below a certain level was certainly something I enjoyed. After all, while my **Gamer's Body** prevented me from receiving injuries in a physical sense, metaphysically I did get status effects such as bleeding and fracture which hindered my performance. With **Battle** **Continuation** , I could ignore those status effects at least for a time.

The next Class Card I chose was that of Lancer Scathach, the Witch of Dun Scaith.

From here, I gained the **Wisdom of the Haunted Ground** skill which granted me insight during battle the more experience I had fighting against supernatural being, something I definitely benefited from with how many undead and more I had killed in my Illusion Barriers. It was only Lv 30 compared to Scathach's Rank A, but it was to be expected.

Her **God Slayer** skill I only got at E rank LV 1 which was not surprising given that I had never so much as fought a being possessing Divinity, never mind killed one, but when the time to face the likes of Gilgamesh came it would give me a slight advantage.

It was her **Primordial Rune** skill that I valued the most, however, especially since it came at Lv Max given that it was an all or nothing sort of skill. With it, one could amplify the effects of other, regular Runes by tens of millions of times. Needless to say, it was a game-breaker skill that I would keep close to the chest for a very long time… especially since my skill with Runes was nothing to brag about at this point and a million times 0 was still 0.

With the intent of increasing my magical capabilities in mind, my next Class Card to be summoned was Caster Medea. The reason was quite simple: as a magus from the Age of the Gods, she not only possessed incredible magecraft but she was also the granddaughter of a god, meaning I could perhaps learn how to use my **Divinity** and **Divine Core** skills better.

Her **Territory Creation** and **Item Construction** skills did not give me any boost Level-wise, but it did provide further blueprints and recipes for me to work with.

The **Teachings of Circe** I merely got at Rank E LV 1 and it was apparently a skill meant for removing curses and undoing magecraft done on a person, likely something she had gained while practicing on the various people Circe had transformed into animals on her island.

The **Golden Fleece** skill was utterly impossible for me to learn, it being tied too intimately to Medea's legend.

But the true gain came from **High-Speed Divine Words** that I got at B rank Lv 1 thanks to my **Divine Core** skill of the same Rank and Level. And, from what I could tell, upgrading and leveling up my **Divine Core** skill would reflect upon **High-Speed Divine Words**. Needless to say, I was more then just happy about this – I was positively ecstatic. With this skill even just at Rank B, I could now cast High-Thaumaturgy-level Magecraft at the speed of Single-Action spells. And, given that **High-Speed Divine Words** was a cumulate skill for all the Divine Words spells Medea could use, there were _many_ new spells that became available to me for which I could skip most if not the whole incantation when I cast them.

The Caster Archimedes was the next Class Card I called forth with me **Heroic Spirit Summoning (Fake)** for one simple reason: his **Technique Elucidation** Skill.

At his EX rank, **Technique Elucidation** allowed Archimedes to figure out essentially anything that can be seen as a formula, including Magic Circuits and Crests and fix them. I was slightly surprised I was able to learn this skill at LV Max – though perhaps it was due to my **Akashic Sight** giving me similar insight – but it did not really matter much given that I had wanted the skill for one purpose: to salvage the Emiya Family Crest.

Yes, it did feel rather unpleasant to dig out Kiritsugu's body and take the heavily damaged and cursed portion of the Crest he possessed, however needs must and all that. It only had 18 Circuits, just a portion of the whole as the Mages Association had confiscated the rest due to Kiritsugu's father being a Sealing Designate that dabbled in Vampirism, but it mattered little to me. It was not like I would be using it myself. Oh no, I was clearly incompatible with it due to being adopted and while I could probably manage to assimilate it, I had greater value to me as a peace offering for Illya.

After all, as a Magus-raised child, she valued Magic Crests far more than I do and giving her Kiritsugu's would go a long way to calming her down and winning her over.

Using **Technique Elucidation** , **Heaven's Feel** , **Connection to the Root** and **Teachings of Circe** in concert, I was able to not only fix the damage done to the Crest and remove the curses on it – curses that I stored away and later gave to Sakura to make them her own – but I was able to basically regrow the missing portion of the Crest, turning the 18 Circuit Crest into a 90 Circuit one.

The last Class Card I had acquired was an Assassin Class Card. _The_ Assassin Class Card, to be exact, given that it held the spirits of all 19 Hassan-i-Sabbah which I can chose to use whichever I felt necessary.

Unfortunately, it came with the downside of me not being able to learn any of their Personal Skills, but as it were the **Presence Concealment** of LV 60 was not bad either and I could always **Install** the Card when I needed a specific skill.

" _To be perfectly honest, all of those kinda pale in comparison to_ _ **Heaven's Feel**_ _,_ _ **Connection to the Root**_ _and_ _ **Philosopher Stone**_ _."_ I thought as I scratched my chest… where I had implanted a **Philosopher Stone** into myself not an hour after attaining the skill.

 **Philosopher Stone. Active. LV Max. The ability to purify and accumulate magical energy into a crystal known as the Philosopher's stone – informally known as a photonic crystal – and manipulate it. At this level, kind of counterfeit immortality can be bestowed upon any given target.**

 **Heaven's Feel. Passive & Active. Rank C. LV 30. The Third True Magic whose domain lies in the materialization of the soul, which stops the inevitable dispersion of the soul once it no longer has an anchor to the world, and essentially makes it transcend to a higher form of existence. It is a magic that realizes true immortality by making the soul into a high-dimensional planar being capable of interacting with the material world as a mental body without having to return to Akasha. The practitioner will acquire an unlimited source of magical energy due to the soul becoming analogous to a perpetual motion machine. At current Rank and Level, only temporary materialization and soul transfers may be done, in addition to manipulation of Magic Circuits. Passively grants +50% VIT, +50% MP, +50% MP Regeneration.**

 **Connection to the Root. Active. Rank C. LV 15. It is, in other words, the mark of an almighty wish-machine. For those who possess this Skill, regular parameters become meaningless. At current Rank and Level, only temporary use of this skill can be made, allowing the user to connect to Akasha and enact only small miracles in short bursts. Costs 100.000MP per use.**

 **Philosopher Stone. Legendary Item. Highest Rank. A Top-Grade Photonic Crystal. Can store the prana capacity of 1.000.000 top-class Magi. Can grant immortality to any given target. Can be transformed into the Elixir of Life to cure anything short of death. Can store a Ritual-level mystery to be enacted at a moment's notice. Can function as a super-computer. Can be implanted into a subject to grant +1000STR, +1000VIT, +1000DEX, +1000INT and +1000WIS.**

Because of that and my own grinding, my stats looked pretty damn good these days.

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 15**

 **Level: 115 Next Level: 6,95%**

 **HP: 191.428,75/** **191.428,75**

 **MP: 23.834.908,125/** **23.834.908,125**

 **HPR: 823,315% per min**

 **MPR: 738,47% per min**

 **STR: 3511,25**

 **VIT: 7633,15**

 **DEX: 3548,35**

 **INT: 6725,9**

 **WIS: 6684,7**

 **LUCK: 1036,15**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 495**

 **Money:**

As such, I was reasonably confident that I would not only be able to survive the mess I am about to poke my nose into, but also achieve my objectives.


	6. Chapter 6

" _Misaki Town. Home of True Magicians, Demons and Vampires. Can I choose my vacation spots or not?"_ I deadpanned.

I had wandered around a bit after the bus I took from the airport dropped me off with the intent of getting a feel of the town and the state of mind of the locals given that disappearances had already begun occurring. So far, though, it seems Roa's victims were not either not visible enough in society to draw too much attention or he already controlled a few important enough people to cover things up to a significant degree.

Personally, I was inclined to think it was the first option given that I knew that Roa had not been awake long enough for him to have recovered portions of his magecraft such as Hypnosis and that his Mystic Eyes in this incarnation were of the **Life Perception** kind.

And that was when I caught sight of one of my priority targets… though not necessary for elimination.

Tohno Shiki, formerly Nanaya – not that the poor kid remembered it.

"Excuse me." I approached the spectacled boy with a pleasant yet slightly nervous smile. "Would you mind giving me some directions?"

"Eh? Er, sure." Shiki replied after a moment of surprise.

"Great!" I smiled in relief. "I'm trying to get to the Tohno Residence, but I have no idea where to go. I believe it's supposed to be a mansion or something…" I trailed off unsurely.

"Tohno, you say?" Shiki blinked in surprise.

"Yes, I have some business with the Tohno Family Head." I nodded.

"I see…" he eyed me for a few moments in suspicion.

I had no worry of being found out to be anything but a regular human unless I willingly began to show off. Why was I not worried at all? It was quite simple: I was pulling an Aizen.

And by that, I mean is was disguised with a pair of glasses. Very superman-like, right? Only, these glasses were special, even more so than those of the teenager in front of me. I had created them myself using data borrowed from a handful of bladed Noble Phantasm that the ability to mask their wielder's powers as well as the glasses of Heroic Spirit Henry Jekyll for whom those glasses acted as a switch to turning into Hyde – taking them off, that is.

And it was a similar case for me. While I wore these glasses, I registered as little more than a regular human, one that can use magecraft if I'm seen doing so. Once I take them off, however, anyone looking at me can feel exactly how much more powerful I was compared to my mask, taking them by surprise.

"Well, the Tohno Manor is…" Shiki began giving me detailed explanations on how to reach what I knew to be his new home due to his adoptive sister calling him back soon after her father had died.

"I see, thank you very much." I gave a small bow before taking my leave and making tracks.

I did not want to stick around for him to ask my name. After all, if I gave it to him it may draw unwanted attention as the Emiya name was still infamous. If I refused I would have drawn suspicion from him which would be unadvised due to potentially needing to cooperate with him in the near future. Similarly, giving him a false name when my own could end up being revealed later would also be bad.

Following his instructions, I made my way over to the Tohno Mansion via an Empty Time-Warping ID to save time, only leaving the Illusion Barrier when I was less then twenty meters away from the front gate. I called on the interphone and after identifying myself I soon had a green-eyed maid with short dark pink hair arriving to guide me from the gate into the manor.

" _Hm, given how serious she appears, she must be Hisui."_ I thought, remembering Kohaku was the amber-eyed cheerful one.

Soon enough, he was led into an office where the blue-eyed black-haired Tohno Akiha was waiting for me, wearing a white shirt with a red ribbon on the necktie and a long red skirt.

"Emiya-san." Akiha gave me a minute nod in greeting.

"Tohno-san." I nodded back.

Akiha eyed me for a few more seconds before turning towards Hisui and dismissing her before offering me a seat.

"I will admit, I was rather surprised." Akiha began.

"Oh?" I arched an eyebrow.

"My father rarely showed… enthusiasm when doing business. And certainly not when the other person is a teenager." Akiha stated.

"Well, I am quite certain it has less to do with me personally and more with my adoptive father, Emiya Kiritsugu." I replied quite honestly.

"And the reason he maintained that interest in the business transactions with you even after he learnt your father has passed away?" Akiha pressed.

"Given what I know of how my father operated, I would not be surprised he had your father under a Geis or some other contract. He would not be the first." I mused, thinking back on the Master of Lancer in the 4th Grail War.

"I see." Akiha pursed her lips. "Well, as I have mentioned over the phone, the materials you have asked for have arrived and since you have paid in advance, I'll have one of my maids being the package." She nodded and pressed the speaker button on the interphone on her desk. "Kohaku, bring Emiya-san's package please."

"Yes, Akiha-san!" came the cheerful reply.

"It will only take a few minutes." Akiha told me.

"In the meantime, do me a favor and drink this." I stated as I casually pulled a small bottle of **Elixir of Life** from my Inventory and pushed it across the desk to her.

"Excuse me?" Akiha narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"That hungry glint in your eyes is creeping me out. That **Elixir** will take the edge off you." I told her in a flat tone.

At my words, Akiha stiffened and paled a bit.

"So… you know about…" she trailed off.

"Yes." I replied simply and directed my eyes out the window.

After a minute of hesitation, Akiha took the bottle and downed its contents. I was not surprised. If she was willing to let one of her maids poison her time and again, drinking a potentially lethal liquid offered by a stranger was not too unexpected.

"T-This is…!" Akiha exclaimed in shock as the **Elixir of Life** ran its course, not only curing the prana-starvation she was suffering from and the poison in her system, but also calming down her inner demon like never before.

"You're welcome." I told her with an amused smile, causing her to flush slightly.

"Thank you." She muttered.

Seconds later, Kohaku arrived pushing a trolley that had three heavy metal briefcases stacked on it.

"Feel free to check." Akiha offered quickly, as if to change the subject.

Nodding, I placed a hand on the top briefcase and use **Tracing** on the whole stack.

"Everything is in order." I nodded.

"You could tell without even opening them?" Akiha blinked before shaking her head. "Right, magus."

" **Structural Analysis** is the very first spell most magi are thought since we can't blow ourselves up with it." I told her in a bland tone as I picked up the rather heavy top briefcase with ease and put it into my Inventory.

"And that?" Kohoku asked curiously.

"Hammer-space." I deadpanned.

"Really?" the redhead gave me a disbelieving look.

"At least something close to it." I shrugged as I stored the other two briefcases as well. "It's been a pleasure to do business with you, Tohno-san." I gave Akiha a nod as I stood up to leave.

"Likewise, Emiya-san." Akiha also stood up.

"Before I leave, I feel I should inform you of a few things occurring in Misaki Town that may have escaped your notice. If you are already aware, I apologize in advance." I began.

"Go on." Akiha frowned slightly.

"Well, for starters, your biological brother Tohno SHIKI is the 18th incarnation of Michael Roa Valdamjong, a Dead Apostle also known as the Infinite Reincarnator and the Serpent of Akasha." I told her in a flat tone. "He has apparently just awakened his original consciousness so if you encounter him, I suggest you run. He's regarded as an unofficial Dead Apostle Ancestor for a reason."

Both Akiha and Kohaku were pale.

"Because of Roa, the White Princess of the True Ancestors, Arcueid Brunestud will be arriving in town to kill him again, if she is not in Misaki already. In addition, the Dead Apostle Ancestors have sent Nrvnqsr Chaos, the 10th ranked Ancestor to hunt Arcueid down, so hell be making an appearance as well. Lastly, a member of the Church's Burial Agency is in town hunting for Roa." I told them.

"…" Akiha gulped. "Are… are you certain?"

"Like a heart-attack." I replied. "So, you may want to avoid going out at night if you can help it."

"Thank you for the warning." Akiha closed her eyes. "Kohaku, please show Emiya-san on his way out."

"R-Right." Kohaku nodded and I moved to follow her.

I remained silent until we were out of he manor and she was leading me to the entrance gate at the edge of the property.

"You know, I'm aware that I's none of my business, but I believe that since it was Akiha-san standing up for you to her father that stopped the abuse you suffered, poisoning her is a poor response on your part." I commented idly.

Kohaku froze.

"The fact that she feels guilty enough to not have noticed what was happening earlier that she is knowingly continuing to take the poison you're giving her does not make things any better." I added as I continued to walk but slowed down.

"H-How do you know?" Kohaku demanded in a low tone as she caught up with me.

"Tohno Shiki, the adopted one, is not the only person in the world with special eyes." I stated calmly.

"Shiki-san has…?" Kohaku blurted out.

"And they're always active; it's why he needs to wear those glasses." I nodded.

"I… see." She muttered.

"Well, I should be going." I remarked, pointing out that we had reached the gate. "Piece of advice: don't do anything rash."

With that I took my leave, leaving behind some rather unsettled and conflicted teenage girls behind.

" _Now then, let's find me a vampire."_ I thought grimly as he made my way through Misaki Town as sun began to set.

Having known roughly where to go, I soon arrive at the scene of Arcueid Brunestud laying on the floor beyond of a half-open apartment door in a puddle of blood and 17 pieces.

"Well, aren't you having a bad day." I remarked dryly as I entered the apartment and closed the door behind me. Then, I proceeded to discretely take a few samples of her blood and hair that were stored in the safety of my Inventory even as I used **Utopia Blessing** on her followed by several dozen **Utopia Cure** until she was back in one piece and had regained consciousness. "Damn, your bloodlust is showing." I frowned at the glint in her eyes.

The blonde grimaced at my words and closed her eyes, trying to push back her urges.

"Here, drink this." I handed her a large bottle of **Elixir of Life**.

"What…?" Arcueid frowned while eyeing the bottle in confusion for a moment before shrugging and biting the plastic cap off and spitting it out rather than waste removing it in the conventional way, before gulping down the whole 2 liters of **Elixir of Life**.

I was not surprised; while she had healed pretty well, there was still quite a bit of blood that had not returned into her veins, even now staining the floor and her ruined clothes. In addition, she had lost quite a bit of her strength from the recent mutilation.

What's worse, I knew Roa had stolen about 30% of her power, Altrouge Brunestud had taken half of her remaining 70% by stealing her hair, and the recent loss was supposed to have lost her another 30%, leaving her with just 5% of her original power, making it incredibly hard for her to hold back her bloodlust _and_ fight effectively.

"Whoa, that was great!" Arcueid exclaimed as she finished drinking the **Elixir** , looking quite reinvigorated. "…Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, my clothes are ruined! You're perving on me…"

"Your hair has grown." I cut her off, silencing her.

"…What." She looked me in the eye.

"Your hair has grown. A couple inches, I would guess." I told her seriously.

Frowning, she got up and hurried over to a mirror and stared in shock at the confirmation that I was telling the truth, her hair now touching her shoulders.

"What the hell is in that drink?" Arcueid demanded. "I should be impossible for me to regenerate a portion of that power after it was taken from me."

"Ever heard of the **Elixir of Life**?" I asked her.

"You can make a **Philosopher Stone**?" she frowned at me.

I understood why. The easiest way to gather the large amount of prana needed to condense and crystalize to form a **Philosopher Stone** was gained the easiest from large amounts of human sacrifices.

So, I held out my right hand palm facing upwards and used my **Philosopher Stone** skill to create a fist-sized red photonic crystal within seconds, demonstrating I did not need sacrifices.

"…Okay, that's impressive." She admitted.

"Thank you." I smiled slightly. "Now, since I have you at a disadvantage, knowing who you are, I guess it would only be polite to introduce myself. My name is Emiya Shirou. And, as you likely have guessed, I'm a magus."

"So, what brings you here, Shirou-kun?" Arcueid asked.

"I'm hunting a parasite you have the misfortune to be familiar with." I replied mildly as I **Projected** a large glass and placed the **Stone** in it before turning it into the **Elixir** , followed by handing the glass to Arcueid who accepted it with a grin.

"Hoh, that's pretty ambitious." The blonde remarked as she sipped the **Elixir** , trying out its taste more attentively this time. "You may be a great alchemist, but Roa is now push-over." She pointed out.

"Perhaps." I shrugged. "But I did come with a few aces up my sleeves."

"Anything interesting?" she inquired.

"Well, there's this." I casually pulled a previously **Traces** scythe that I has stored in the stasis of my Inventory. "A perfect replica of the **Immortal Slaying Scythe, Harpe**. Its trait is the **Refraction of Longevity** , which is a divine ability that nullifies the 'undying attribute' of immortals and inflicts wounds that cannot be restored by any methods other than healing in accordance to the natural laws. A single scratch is enough to render even a God mortal."

"Ooh, that's nasty." Arcueid winced and eyed the scythe warily until I had stored it away. "Still, just because you have fancy weapon, that does not mean…" the words died in her mouth as I removed my glasses, allowing my power to be felt by her for a few seconds before I put them back on. "Okay… so you're not all talk." She admitted.

"You should focus on killing Nrvnqsr Chaos first, the other Dead Apostle Ancestors sent him after you. He's already in town, I believe." I told her. "I'll keep an eye out for Roa. He just woke up recently, so he will try to hide for as long as possible to gather strength. His former host is also in town with a grudge, by the way."

"Ah, Elesia was it?" Arcueid mused. "She was his strongest incarnation, had plenty of time to recover his power before I killed him again."

"So, I've heard. Her body is still cursed, Gaia sees her and Roa as one and the same so while Roa exists she can't die." I explained.

"Sucks to be her." Arcueid shrugged.

"True enough." I agreed. "Now, care to find out just how much of your power can be recovered with the **Elixir of Life**?" I suggested with a grin as I began creating another, larger **Philosopher Stone** , my MP having completely recovered.

Her grin was all the answer I needed.

One hour and dozens of **Philosopher Stones** later, her hair was fully regrown and the power she had lost along with it restored, leaving her missing only the 30% Roa had.

"Hm, looks like if Roa is killed for good you would be back to full power." I remarked before frowning as I stared straight at her.

"…What?" she asked after a while.

"…If you recover your full power as you are now, the will of Crimson Moon Brunestud deep within you will surface." I scowled.

"…well shit." Arcueid groaned. "I don't suppose you have any other miracles up your sleeve?"

"…Depends." I shifted.

"On what?" she blinked.

"On how much faith you're wiling to put in me." I admitted.

"Well, given that you helped me recover not only from my wounds but also my stolen power when you apparently have a weapon that can kill me for good, I suppose you deserve a measure of my trust… why?" Arcueid tilted her head.

"Because it's going to hurt." I sighed as I **Traced** as simple knife.

"Story of my life." Arcueid grumbled. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill the consciousness of Crimson Moon Brunestud within you." I uttered as I activated my **Akashic Sight** to gaze upon her.

"Hoh, your eyes look a lot like those of the guy who cut me up." Arcueid remarked curiously as she looked me in the eye.

I was not in the least surprised. My **Akashic Sight** could easily be classed as Rainbow Rank as far as Mystic Eyes went, despite not strictly being Mystic Eyes. Add in that they granted me the abilities of the **Mystic Eyes of Death Perception** as well and it was no surprise they looked like Tohno Shiki's.

"They are, indeed similar." I told her. "Now stand perfectly still. I don't want to miss and kill some other part of you."

"Right." Arcueid gulped. "Go ahead."

Without hesitation, I struck at the Point of Death that my **Akashi Sight** had identified as Type-Moon's will that was meant to be inherited by his incarnation. I watched in fascination as it died and a surge of power that it held back from Arcueid engulfed her, making her shudder as her power grew to tremendous levels even by her standards.

When her eyes opened, they shone with all the colors of the Rainbow in ever-shifting strands.

"I think… that I just became an Ultimate One." Arcueid remarked,

"Of the Moon." I slowly nodded. "And, from what I'm seeing, there's still room for one more."

"Earth." She nodded.

"Would you particularly mind if I kill the impulses Gaia is sending you to wipe out humanity?" I asked her as I stared at a few particular Points of Death.

"Go ahead." Arcueid agreed.

Sixteen more Points of Death stabbed and the new Type-Moon looked fairy relaxed, more than she had ever been even before Roa's betrayal.

"I'll probably have to stab you a bit more after you get your remaining power back from Roa as well." I told her as I finally dismissed the knife back into prana.

"I don't mind. If that bastard is killed for good, you can stab me every day for all I care." Arcueid dismissed his concerns.

"Alright then." I shrugged. "Well, I suppose it's time to take my leave. I still need to find myself a hotel, and it's getting late." I remarked as I glanced at the clock and then at the evening sky outside the window.

"You can stay here, if you like." Arcueid offered. "This apartment has two bedrooms."

"Hm, if you're sure." I shrugged. "Thank you."

"Heh, I should be thanking you." Arcueid laughed. "You have no idea what you've done means for me."

"Oh, I think I have a vague idea." I smiled. "At any rate, if you don't mind I'm going to get some sleep. Making so many **Philosopher Stones** eats up quite a bit of my power."

"Door on the right." she indicated. "I think I'll go take a shower." She glanced down at her ruined clothes and the partially dried blood on her body.

Nodding, I turned and entered the indicated bedroom before quickly changing into my pajamas and laying down to catch some shut-eye. I was not tired, not in the least, but even with **Gamer's Mind** I was still feeling the magnitude of being responsible of unleashing a Type upon the Earth, if a benevolent one. If she went on any killing sprees, it won't be because either Crimson Moon Brunestud or Gaia are whispering in her head, but because she chose to.

When I woke up in the morning, I changed back into my day clothes and headed into the kitchen where I prepared one of my usual delicious breakfasts that drew the half-asleep and half-naked Ultimate One of the Moon like a moth to the flame.

And I most certainly enjoyed the view of the beautiful topless blonde devouring my cooking.

"So, any plans for today?" I asked her as I drank a cup of tea.

"Mm. I want to see that kid that cut me up yesterday." The blonde replied.

"Don't be too hard on him." I advised. "His Demon Hunter blood has been suppressed for eight years since Roa almost murdered him, leading to him awakening those eyes. If I sensed right, he's still got a curse on him form Roa that I want to deal with before I confront Roa himself."

"How do you know who cut me?" Arcueid narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"There are only two people in the world who possess those **Mystic Eyes of Death Perception**." I casually told her.

"And how do you know it wasn't the other one?" she tilted her head questionably.

"One, the male one lives in this town. And two, you still _exist._ " I gave her a look. "If it had been the other own, nothing short of a Type would have survived and even then, there is a chance she could kill you. "Akasha's incarnation is not someone to be messed with."

"Akasha's…!?" Arcueid gaped. "You're kidding, right?"

"You see this face? This is my serious face." I told her flatly while pointing at my face.

"…Okay, if you say so." the blonde conceded.

Several hours later, I watched with a deadpan as a grinning Arcueid chased Shiki through town after revealing herself to him, showing him that she was very much alive, before dragging him over back to her apartment. There, I took the opportunity to look into him with my **Akashic Sight** and sever Roa's connection to him.

"W-What did you do?!" the teenager stuttered before stiffening at the sight of my eyes.

"I severed the source of your occasional anemia." I told him even as I pulled out a half-liter bottle of **Elixir of Life**. "Here, drink up. It's medicine to fix the accumulated damage."

"Really?" Shiki eyed the bottle doubtfully.

"It worked on me." Arcueid offered.

The black-haired teen considered her words for a moment, concluded that my miracle-drink was the reason the blonde was still breathing and promptly accepted and downed the **Elixir**.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he felt the effects immediately. "I feel… incredible. I don't even remember ever feeling so good."

"Good." I smiled.

"I don't suppose you can help me with my eyes as well?" Shiki asked hopefully.

"Sorry. I can point you in the direction of the other person with eyes like yours, if you want. She can turn them off. Her name is Ryougi Shiki, she lives in Mifune City." I told him.

"I see. Shiki, huh." He murmured. "Thanks."

"Now, if you excuse me, I have Dead people to kill." I gave Arcueid a grin. "If you manage to kill the 10th tonight, can you do me a favor and collect as much of that black **Soil of Genesis** of his as you can? I want to try a few things with it."

"Sure, no problem." Arcueid shrugged.

Nodding in thanks, I headed out into the night that had fallen while Arcueid was messing around. It did not take me long to run into some Dead that could have only been created by Roa – since Nrvnqsr Chaos had his beasts eat victims whole – which was exactly what I need to track him down. While they counted as individuals, they were still extensions of Roa through which he could drain blood from humans, and upon using **Akashic Sight** on one Dead, I could track all of them and Roa via my **Map** skill.

And that was exactly what I did, tracking each and every one of them down and killing them until only Roa was left. I made sure to not do so starting with those further from Roa and then closer to avoid scaring him off _too_ badly and making him run away, but it appeared he was still panicking given his movements so I had no choice but to pick up the pace, entering my Time-Warping ID and traveling inside it, only coming out in the spots where Roa had stopped, usually to drain and kill a victim.

One such victim was Yumizuka Satsuki who, rather than dispose of, I fed a liter of **Elixir of Life** given that she was awakening as a Dead Apostle rather than a mere Dead, promptly curing her of her vampirism before she even knew of it.

Unfortunately, there was someone who _did_.

"What are you doing?" a female voice demanded forcefully and I had to tilt my head to avoid the **Black Key** thrown my way.

"What does it look like, Yumi?" I glanced at the Executor, #7 of the Burial Agency at that, crouching on top of a street-light. "I'm treating this girl to make sure she survives."

"She's infected. She needs to be put down…" the blue-haired blue-eyed girl began angrily, ignoring the fact that he knew her name… for the moment.

"Really? Because she seems just fine to me." I snapped back. "Maybe you should first _check_ if someone has been infected before killing them off."

"She was bitten…"

"Which means nothing if the she was not killed or the curse not intentionally passed on. And Roa is in a bit if a rush right now, from what I can see, so going out of his way to turn someone is not among his list of priorities." I cut her off flatly even as I stood up.

"You seem to know a few things about Roa." Yumi aka Ciel aka Elesia narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Nowhere near as much as you, _Elesia_." I drawled.

I did nothing as a handful of **Black Keys** impacted my chest… or rather attempted to and were stopped with ease by my **Utopia of Victory**.

"What?!" Ciel exclaimed.

"I don't have time for this shit." I scowled and in a burst of speed I was within Ciel's guard and breaking half her ribs with two powerful strikes that sent her flying into a wall. Before she could retaliate or regenerate from the damage, I **Traced** a dozen **Black Keys** and impaled her shadow, binding her in place. Only then did I feel comfortable enough to use **Akashic Sight** on her.

" **You…!"** Ciel snarled as she finished regenerating.

"Me. Now, if you excuse me, I have a parasite to exterminate." I told her as I turned to leave. "I trust that by the time you get free you would have calmed down enough to check and realize that girl is still human. Though I suppose you might have other reasons to kill her; apparently, she's part of your competition for your crush, Ciel-san." I taunted before disappearing.

I picked up the pace, continuing to make quick stops where Roa had fed to dispose of the Dead before they rose, before finally coming face-to-face with a red-eyed white-haired young man in his late teens wearing a purple yukata with a dark blue obi.

"Tohno SHIKI." I uttered. "You have been found guilty of copyright infringement." I pointed an accusing finger at him even as I used **Akashic Sight** on him.

"…What." Roa's 18th incarnation _stared_.

" **ID Create: Stasis."** I whispered under my breath.

I did not waste time playing around. I drew the **Traced Harpe** from my Inventory and quickly made my way to exactly behind Roa's position and positioned myself to strike at where his Point of Death would be.

" **ID Escape."** I uttered mid-swing of the **Immortal Slaying Scythe** , returning to the real word less then a second before the tip of the blade hit, plunging through Roa's chest through the back and coming out through the lower-right side due to the curving of the blade and the position I had struck in.

It had almost not been enough, Roa's supernatural instincts allowing him to begin turning towards me, a red blade of crystalized blood forming from each forearm, but thankfully my own **Instinct** had been enough to predict his movements to an extent and **Harpe's** curved blade pierced both the previous location of his Point of Death and the new one, causing him to freeze in place, eyes wide in shock and horror even as he was erased from the world. It happened very quickly, but as I was watching carefully I was able to discern that it had begun from the Point of Death that I had struck, spread through all the Lines of Death throughout his body, and finally the rest of him.

In my hand, **Harpe** shattered and dispersed into motes of prana, leaving me scowling at the fading handle in my hand.

It was merely an act, of course. I was the one that had caused the scythe to be destroyed to put up a show for the raven made of an inky-black substance that was watching my every move.


	7. Chapter 7

One look. That was all, it took. Just one glance at the raven that was one of Nrvnqsr Chaos' beasts using **Akashic Sight** was all it took for me to be able to track him down across town. Him and every one of his beasts.

As such, I held no hesitation in **Tracing** a **Black Key** and ending the raven right there. Then, I promptly walked up to the puddle of black goo that had dropped from the cables the raven was sitting on and collected it all in a **Traced** jar that got stored in my Inventory as soon as it was filled.

Only then, with no further prying eyes on me, did I deign to focus on the notice windows that had popped up before my eyes.

 **You have killed Michael Roa Valdamjong, the Serpent of Akasha! +10.000.000XP.**

 **You have killed an Immortal. 'Immortal Slayer' Title gained.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

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" _So, I'm level 154 now. Not bad, not bad at all. Though, to be fair, I probably would have gotten a hell lot more if I had killed him at full power."_ **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 15**

 **Level: 154 Next Level: 4,05%**

 **HP: 191.428,75/** **191.428,75**

 **MP: 23.834.908,125/** **23.834.908,125**

 **HPR: 823,315% per min**

 **MPR: 738,47% per min**

 **STR: 3511,25**

 **VIT: 7633,15**

 **DEX: 3548,35**

 **INT: 6725,9**

 **WIS: 6684,7**

 **LUCK: 1036,15**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 765**

 **Money:**

The expected wad of cash was there, a nice hundred million yen at that, likely due to Tohno SHIKI being rich due to his lineage. There were also half a dozen blue Mana Recovery Potions. Lastly, there was a Skill Book.

" **Mystic Eyes of Life Perception**?" I read the title out loud. "Huh, so really is a thing, eh? Well, why not?" I shrugged and learnt the skill.

 **Mystic Eyes of Life Perception. Active. Rank A. LV 1. Allows the user to perceive and interact with the Lines of Life of a being. At higher levels, it allows the perception and interaction with the Points of Life as well.**

" _Pretty much as expected."_ I shrugged before calling up my Map skill and locating Nrvnqsr Chaos, Arcueid Brunestud and Tohno Shiki. _"Hm, it looks like the Tenth is stalking Arcueid rather than getting too close to her. He must have felt the sheer difference in power."_ I conclude as I see several of his beasts spread out around Arcueid and Shiki's location.

Knowing that as an agent and member of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors Nrvnqsr Chaos would at some point report his findings pertaining Arcueid's increase in power to the other Ancestors – he had yet to do so, I had checked his profile – I decided it would be best to kill him off before he could.

As such, I slipped into a Time Warping ID and hunted down his beasts one by one, leaving the ID only long enough to drag the beasts with me back into the ID, kill them and salvage the **Soil of Genesis** they were made of which I stored in my Inventory for later use.

Eventually, there was only Nrvnqsr himself left and he was now rapidly retreating towards the edge of Misaki Town, having clearly deemed this hunt for the last True Ancestor a bust.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." I snorted as I made my way over to where he was heading, intent on cutting him off.

Eyeing the Map and seeing him approach my location – within the real world, of course, as I was still in a Time Warping ID – I **Traced** a few hundred **Black Keys** and suspended them three meters above the ground.

Then, I ended the ID when he was in range and had the **Black Keys** impale the pavement all around Nrvnqsr Chaos – and him a well, for that matter, through the three **Black Keys** that hit him did not do him much harm.

"You… you are the one who has been destroying my beasts." That crimson-eyed grey-haired man with a solid build eyed me in anger. "You also killed Roa's most recent incarnation." He remarked.

"Yes, I am." I confirmed before slipping into a Stasis ID, making my way over to him and reappearing in the real world standing on the handles of two **Black Keys**. "For what it's worth, I'm interested enough in your **Soil of Genesis** that I will conduct ample research with what I salvage from you, Fabro Rowan."

"I am no longer that man." The vampire stated as he began flexing his power, causing a few of the **Black Keys** impaled in his shadow to crack… before stiffening.

"Indeed, Fabro Rowan no longer exists." I agreed even as I pushed the simple kitchen knife impaling his central Point of Death even deeper.

Nrvnqsr Chaos was not a person. Rather, her was an amalgamation of beings, merged into one form via the **Lair of the Beast King** Reality Marble after having been dissolved into **Soil of Genesis**. As such, unlike other Dead Apostles who regenerated due to their Curse of Restoration, Nrvnqsr Chaos merely reshaped the chaos he was made of into whatever form he wished to take.

However, like all things, it had a linchpin. In this case, it was the will of Fabro Rowan, the original identity of the chaos that later became Nrvnqsr Chaos. While largely subsumed, it was still the driving force behind the actions of Nrvnqsr Chaos and without it 10th Dead Apostle Ancestor fell apart into a large puddle of the black goo that was the **Soil of Genesis**.

Dismissing the **Black Keys** , I crouched in the black puddle and began stabbing a few dozen other **Points of Death** that existed within the remaining **Soil of Genesis**. Specifically, the few existences within the **Lair of the Beast King** that held a strong enough will of their own to eventually take control of the **Soil of Genesis** to become the new driving force behind Nrvnqsr Chaos, in a way reviving him. That was not something I was willing to allow.

I only stopped when a notice window popped up.

 **You have killed Nrvnqsr Chaos, the #10 of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors! +100.000.000XP.**

"Not that's more like it." I smirked in satisfaction.

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 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 15**

 **Level: 247 Next Level: 94,55%**

 **HP: 191.428,75/** **191.428,75**

 **MP: 23.834.908,125/** **23.834.908,125**

 **HPR: 823,315% per min**

 **MPR: 738,47% per min**

 **STR: 3511,25**

 **VIT: 7633,15**

 **DEX: 3548,35**

 **INT: 6725,9**

 **WIS: 6684,7**

 **LUCK: 1036,15**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 1230**

 **Money:**

I then turned my attention to the loot that currently lay in the puddle of **Soil of Genesis**. I first gathered the black goo in a barrel is had brought in my Inventory for this exact purpose before storing it away. The five hundred million yen were also quickly stored away leaving behind a Soul Stone the size of my torso and a dozen high grade Regeneration Potions that were also placed in my Inventory.

Checking the Map, I entered an Empty ID and began making my way over to where Arcueid and Shiki were even as I began going through the profiles of the several Phantasmal Beasts within Nrvnqsr Chaos such as a unicorn and a small dragon. Just I had done in the past, I began extracting portions of the data and compressing it into a Skill Book, or in this case several Skill Books that upon assimilating raised my **Child of Nature** skill all the way up to rank A LV 1.

This promptly unlocked the **Marble Phantasm** skill for me which I gleefully learnt. It was just at LV 1 and I won't be able to wipe out entire cities with a thought like Arcueid could even before she became an Ultimate One, but I could get there with time and practice.

At such a high level, **Child of Nature** negated most of Gaia's rejection of my magecraft and, if I leveled it up to the max or even upgraded it to EX, I would be entirely immune to Gaia's rejection.

From Nrvnqsr's profile I drew the secrets of the **Soil of Genesis** skill as it was the only thing in it I actually had an interest in. Sure, Fabro Rowan had been a genius alchemist, but almost all he had learnt a millennium ago had to be outdated by this point. The **Soil of Genesis** active skill, however, I gained at LV 75 and it allowed me to turn other living beings into that primordial black goo and manipulate it to an extent. The part where it became part of him and granted him the abilities of the various creatures within was due to Nrvnqsr's Reality Matble which I lacked, not that I was particularly interested in it in the first place. I doubted I would mesh well with **Gamer's Body** , after all.

From Roa, promptly learnt both the **Death Resistive Body** and **Eroding Detachment** active skills, that the Reincarnator had gained from his current host, Tohno SHIKI. I could only learn them due to my **Child of Nature** skill that made me inhuman enough. The former allowed me to reshape my body when I receive wounds to I could survive even without vital organs – though, obviously there was only so much body mass to go around to it had limits. In addition, I also allowed me to crystalize my blood and use it as a weapon… which was actually the reason I leant the skill in the first place as my **Gamer's Body** prevented me from losing so much as a finger, never mind my vital organs.

The **Eroding Detachment** skill, however, was right down my alley in that I allowed me to not only lost body parts by eating the flesh of others – which I did not actually need, again, due to **Gamer's Body** – but also to gain the abilities associated with those body parts, if any, and assimilate the life force contained in those body parts to restore my own. It was the fact that it worked as a limitless transplant that interested me the most, as I happened to lack a Magic Crest and could not simply grab one and graft it onto myself due to the high chance of rejection. However, unlike the Magic Circuits which were purely spiritual in nature as being part of the soul, the Magic Crests were materialized on the physical plane and implanted from one family member to another like an extra organ. I was not entirely sure if I could eat a Magic Crest and make it my own or if I should rather assimilate the blood of its last host before grafting the Crest onto myself, but I was pretty sure it would work out in the end.

I soon reach Arcueid and Shiki and dropped out of my ID… only to dodge the knife strike aimed at one of my Lines of Death.

"Really?" I deadpanned at a wide-eyed Shiki.

"Where did you come from?" the adopted Tohno demanded.

"Nearby." I shrugged. "By the way, you can calm down. That guy is dead. And so is Roa." I added as I gave a happy Arcueid a grin.

"I know, I felt the last missing piece of my power return to me." She said in a blissful tone.

"Then I guess it's time to stab you again." I remarked as I **Traced** a simple knife.

"Yep." The blonde agreed.

" **Wait, what?"** Shiki yelled.

"She gets certain impulses due to the nature of her power. I'm killing those impulses and them alone." I assured the teen before gazing at Arcueid with my **Akashic Sight** and then stabbing her eight times in the abdomen after lifting her shirt and twice in the forehead.

"Ah, that's much better." Arcueid sighed as she wiped away the bit of blood from the already closed wounds.

"I see you've received the Archetype of Earth as well." I remarked with interest. "Hm, I wonder how Gaia will respond to this."

"She won't be able to do much. I may be her Aristotle now, but I am now entirely independent of her will while still being able to draw on her power without limits." Arcueid grinned as her Rainbow eyes flashed momentarily.

"And she sure as hell lacks the power to make a replacement Type." I added in amusement. "She would have to entirely drop the rejection of Magecraft to achieve anything near that."

"I'm not understanding a word you two are saying." Shiki grumbled.

"Trust me, that's a good thing." I assured him. "If you understood everything, it would mean your life is as crazy as ours."

"It means you're boring." Arcueid stage-whispered.

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, you only need to ask your sister to bring you in on some of the Tohno Family secrets and you'll begin to understand. Show her your eyes, too, she'll be surprised by not overly so." I advised the rookie.

"Akiha? She knows about all this?" Shiki demanded in shock.

"Well, no. But she knows some of it which is a good start for you. Now, let's get you home. I'm sure she'll be _thrilled_ to learn that Roa is dead." I remarked as I place an arm around Shiki's shoulders and began guiding him towards the Tohno Mansion.

"Why's that?" Shiki asked suspiciously.

"Because he was possessing her rabid older brother." I deadpanned.

"…What?"

"Yep." I drew out the 'p'.

"And she's supposed to be happy about this?" the dark-haired teen asked in disbelief.

"In all fairness, he _should_ have been put down eight years ago when he lost control and tried to put a hole through your chest… which I see you've finally remembered." I added as Shiki clenched at his chest where the cursed scar from Roa used to be.

"SHIKI." The bow whispered. "He… his hair went white."

"And he never turned back. He was stuck like that for either years until Roa awoke inside him and took over. Eight years as nearly a rabid animal and then a puppet." I said lowly.

"…I'm beginning to understand why it's better that he's dead now." Shiki grimaced. "Out of his misery."

"And ours." Arcueid added. "I've been killing Roa and his hosts for centuries, but I was never able to kill him completely like Shirou here did, preventing further reincarnations." She explained.

Upon arrival at the Tohno household, they were greeted by three worried teenage girls who stiffened and stared with no little apprehension at Arcueid, feeling the power coming off her in waves.

Normally, I would have attempted to get her to rein it in so as to not draw attention to herself… but why bother. She was an Ultimate One twice over now. There was nothing on the face of the Earth that could kill her. Even the **Black Barrel** or **Longinus** as the Church called it should not be able to kill her in one shot as it would another Type. After all, it would only destroy the power she got from one celestial body meaning she would have ample time and power to crush her attacker with the power she drew from her second celestial body.

"There's a perfectly logical explanation for this." Shiki began nervously under the looks his sister and her twin pink-haired maids were giving him.

"Really?" Akiha asked incredulously.

"It's her fault." Shiki promptly threw Arcueid under the buss.

"Hey!" the blonde Double-Type exclaimed.

"Well, to be fair, you did chase him down to have your fun with him." I pointed out reasonably.

"Whose side are you on?" Arcueid pouted.

"Silly Arcueid." I shook my head in mock disappointment. "I'm obviously on my side. The real question is who's on my side."

"Depends on how good your health insurance is." Shiki gulped at the look Akiha was giving him. "And maybe the life insurance as well."

"Oh, the health insurance is pretty good. You should know, I did fix you up earlier." I reminded him.

"Ah, right. Good point." Shiki blinked.

"The life insurance, on the other hand… well, there's this saying about how being a magus is to 'Walk with Death'…" I gave him a helpless shrug.

"Urk."

"Shi-ki-kun." Akiha ground out.

"To sum things up, Roa is dead. So is the #10 of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors that was in town. So Misaki is vampire-free once more." I spoke up.

Pointed looks were sent to Arcueid.

"She's not strictly a vampire. Not anymore at least." I hedged.

"Would that be your doing?" an entirely unfamiliar elderly voice suddenly spoke from right behind me… **"GAH!"** only for the owner to be bombarded by **Drilling Exorcism Swords** that I had cast on reflex upon noticing the intruder.

Swiftly turning around to face him, I gazed upon the slowly regenerating form of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Magician of the **Kaleidoscope** , and took a moment to use **Akashic Sight** on him… and then on the red-haired young woman a short distance away from him, just outside the area of effect of my attack, and promptly used **Akashic Sight** on Miss Blue, Aozaki Aoko as well.

"Grandpa?!" Arcueid exclaimed.

"Sensei?" Shiki said at the same time, only towards the woman.

"There goes the neighborhood." I remarked dryly.

"Damn it, kid! Is that how you treat your elder?" Zelretch grumbled as he finished reforming.

"Considering what the kind of people that reach your age are like, yes, yes I do." I deadpanned. "Besides, it's pretty damn common sense to blast a vampire when he shows up from behind right over your shoulder. You know, in perfect position to bite on my jugular?"

"Heh, kid has a point." The Magician of the **Magic Blue** laughed. "Still, it looks like you've been doing well, Shiki."

"I suppose it hasn't been bad." Shiki edged.

"Can someone tell me who you people are and what are you doing in my house?" Akiha demanded as her hair began turning crimson.

"Calm down, girlie. We're not here to cause trouble." Zelretch scoffed. "Merely bring news of upcoming trouble."

"The old man is the Wizard Marshal and Magician of the Second Magic, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, while the young woman is the Magician of the Fifth Magic, Aozaki Aoko… and the previous Second Owner of this town, if I'm not mistaken." I turned my eyes curiously towards the redhead.

"Yeah, since I was the only one left of my family living in Misaki and I wanted to go traveling, I had the Tohno Family take over the job while I'm away." Aoko confirmed. "And don't call me…" she began in annoyance.

"You do realize that all parts of your name and titles are connected to that color, right?" I deadpanned, earning a nervous eye-twitch. "Sigh, since you're my senior as a magus, I'll call you Senpai, if that's alright with you?"

"Good." Aoko nodded firmly.

"Okay, Aoko-Senpai." I said innocently.

"Why you little…!"

"Enough." Zelretch cut in, for once in a serious tone. "We're wasting time."

"Alright, what's the damage?" I asked directly.

"Primate Murder is heading straight here." Zelretch dropped the bomb. "It should be here in less than fifteen minutes."

"…" I stared at him blankly before facepalming. "I _knew_ I forgot something. Of _course,_ the freaking incarnation of human death is heading here. because, _why not_?" I ground out.

"If you have time to complain, you can use it to figure out a solution. Because, if I'm reading things right, it's your fault." Zelretch pointed out. "It's just the kind of mess I would expect to find you neck-deep in, Emiya Shirou-kun."

"Oh, shut up you overgrown mosquito." I snapped back. "I have a few solutions in mind, thank you very much. The actual question is whether you're going to help or just watch."

"Well, considering it's my granddaughter that's likely the target, yes, I'm helping out." Zelretch shrugged.

"Huh. Then things should be relatively easy." I blinked in surprise.

"Despite what rumors may say, Magicians can't actually go head to head with the likes of the Beast of Gaia and come out on top with ease." Aoko saw fit to point out.

"Yeah, I know, and Zelretch here is also pretty damn cripple as far as combat power goes." I agreed.

"And what gave you that ludicrous impression?" Zelretch sniffed.

" **Tracing**." I deadpanned.

"…Fucking Faker." The millennium-old Dead Apostle Ancestor grumbled.

"Anyway, I'm not suggesting you take on Primate Murder. Rather, I'm saying we should be good little magi and cheat our asses off." I pointed out.

"How?" Arcueid blinked.

"Tell me, Zelretch." I reached into my Inventory and pulled out **Avalon** "How good are you at opening gateways to other realms? Especially when you have a proper medium to work with?" I smirked evilly.

"…You cheeky little bastard." Zelretch grinned widely.

"It's time for Primate Murder, or rather Cath Palug, to have a little reunion with his old master." I mirrored Zelretch's grin.

"Merlin's about to have a _really_ bad day." The Wizard Marshal concluded.

Just under ten minutes later, in a park Zelretch had teleported me, Aoko, Arcueid and himself to, Primate Murder, the White Beast of Gaia, appeared in all its three-meter-tall doggy glory, radiating bloodlust that sent my **Detect Bloodlust** skill up to LV Max in an instant despite it having been in the mid-eighties before this encounter.

" **ID Create: Stasis!"** I called out as soon as it appeared.

As it so happened, while it was possible to draw upon Gaia's power while within my Illusion Barriers, it was possible only for those connected to my Gamer Ability, such as being in a party with me. For all others, entering an ID meant beign cut off from Gaia. I had noticed this when I once dragged Sakura into an ID with me without inviting her into a Party first and saw that her magecraft was more powerful in there.

Hence why this time while both Arcueid and Zelretch were Partied with me – and boy was the old blood-sucker surprised I had the Gamer ability – due to them either beign able to draw additional power from Gaia or depending on it for their Curse of Restoration, Aoko was not making her Magecraft much stronger.

Similarly, Primate Murder was cut off from it's main power source leaving it unsteady for a few moments which was just what Aoko, Arcueid and I needed as we began bombarding the mutt with everything we had, that being our respective magic missiles for Aoko and I and dropping the weight of the fuckin' Moon on the Beast in Arcueid's case followed by razor winds that would wipe out continents in the real world.

Meanwhile, as we were keeping the Beast of Gaia distracted by continuously tearing it apart even as it regenerated about as fast as we were damaging it, proving that even without Gaia's Backup it was a monster to be reckoned with, and managing to score some hits on us occasionally making me thank Akasha for having the time to charge up my **Utopia of Victory** with as many lights as I could currently handle, Zelretch was conducting the equivalent of a Grand Ritual such as the Holy Grail War in the span of a few short minutes by having somehow summoned more of himself to work with.

I was pretty sure they were not versions of him form Parallel Worlds, though, but rather an application of the **Kaleidoscope** given that to my eyes those duplicates did not quite have the conceptual weight the real thing did, no matter how solid they seemed to be.

Eventually, when I had just started having to rely on my natural HP regeneration as my **Utopia Blessing** ran out, Zelretch made his move and suddenly **Avalon** was stabbed into Primate Murder's side before the Beast of Gaia suddenly began to shrink into what I knew to have been its original, uncorrupted form from when it had been Merlin's Familiar Cath Palug… before the cute squirrel-like creature it had been regressed into was sucked into the sheath of the Strongest Holy Sword.

 **You have defeated Cath Palug, the Beast of Gaia and #1 of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors! +XP.**

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" _136 Levels without even killing the thing? Damn…"_ I whistled.

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer**

 **Age: 15**

 **Level: 383 Next Level: 82,03%**

 **HP: 191.428,75/** **191.428,75**

 **MP: 23.834.908,125/** **23.834.908,125**

 **HPR: 823,315% per min**

 **MPR: 738,47% per min**

 **STR: 3511,25**

 **VIT: 7633,15**

 **DEX: 3548,35**

 **INT: 6725,9**

 **WIS: 6684,7**

 **LUCK: 1036,15**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 1910**

 **Money:**

" _Still…"_ turned my gaze towards the other three here in this ID with me.

 **Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg LV ?**

 **The Kaleidoscope**

 **Aozaki Aoko LV ?**

 **The Blue**

 **Arcueid Brunestud LV ?**

 **Type-Moon &Earth**

"… _I have a long way to go before I can stand as an equal among such monsters."_ I mentally sighed. _"Aoko is the closest to me in terms of power despite the level difference, but both Arcueid and Zelretch have the raw power to back up the experience their levels reflect."_

"Why the long face, kid?" Zelretch asked as he approached me even a I dropped the ID, stopping it from draining my MP. "Tired?"

"Not really, I'm already nearly back to full strength." I replied. "Just thinking that I have to part with **Avalon** now. Just in case Primate Murder tries to use it as a gateway to escape."

"Nah, you don't have to worry about that." Zelretch waved him off. " **Avalon** is designed to let the user only temporarily enter the Realm of the Fae. Breaking that limit like we did leaves the one who enters stranded there for good. Plus, after regressing to that form and probably meeting Merlin again, I doubt the mutt will even want to return to this filthy world of ours." he pointed out.

"Fair enough. But I'm keeping this stored in stasis in my Inventory when is don't need to use it." I decided, just to be on the safe side as I picked up **Avalon** and put it away as I said. "Now, if you excuse me, I think I'm heading home now. No offence, Senpai, but I've kind of had enough of your hometown and I've only arrived yesterday."

"Well, killing Roa and Chaos and working with us on banishing Primate Murder does seem a bit much." Arcueid had to agreed while the two Magicians turned to stare at me. "Did you get that black goo you wanted from the 10th?"

"Yep, I collected as much as I could and made sure I won't come alive while I'm not paying attention." I confirmed.

"You collected the **Soil of Genesis**?" Zelretch raised an eyebrow. "What do you plan to do with it?"

"Well, from what I understand, it's somewhat similar to Tiamat's **Sea of Life** , and with the Grail War coming up soon…" I trailed off.

"You just finished fighting a Beast and you want to summon another, more dangerous one?" Zelretch deadpanned. "And here I thought you were not as crazy as your counterparts."

"I suppose it _is_ a tad reckless." I grumbled. "Still, can you imagine the look on that golden asshole's face when he has Tiamat towering over him?"

"Oooh, I see what you mean." Zelretch groaned. "His reaction… it would be _priceless!"_

"I know, right?" I was nodding along. "The only potential better opponent to get such a reaction out of him would be Ishtar, but full Divine Spirits can't be summoned by the Fuyuki System, at least not without seriously messing with the system and you know what happened after the Einzbern fucked with it before the Third War."

"Yeah, a damn shame." Zelretch agreed.

"You two… are getting along entirely _too_ well." Aoko grumbled.


	8. Chapter 8

Bazett Fraga McRemitz was anxious. She had been waiting for this moment for almost a year now, ever since the three sigils forming a stylized red spear had appeared on the back of her hand. At long last, she would get the opportunity to meet her idol, Ireland's Child of Light, Cu Chulainn and through the power of the Holy Grail save him from his unfortunate and undeserved fate.

She was confident in her chances in the upcoming Grail War. Not because she was some genius magus or some Lord from an ancient bloodline like some past Master Candidates chosen from the ranks of the Mages Association had been. No, she was confident because unlike them, who had gone into the Grail War seeing it as another duel between magi only on a larger scale, she was approaching it as she would a dangerous Dead Apostle or Sealing Designate hunt.

She was ready for true life and death combat for the grand prize, and she was sure she would do well, especially given the advantage she had as being a friend of the Church Overseer, Kotomine Kirei, who could give her a few valuable hints here and there even without breaking his neutrality.

It was actually towards Kirei's Church that she was currently heading, as the priest had agreed to oversee her perform the summoning, just to make sure everything was in order.

" _It's not like the summoning ritual is complicated or anything. But, given that Kirei is both the Overseer and a former master himself, not to mention the son of the Overseer of the past two Grail Wars, he might know a few secret tricks to summon my Servant stronger then usual."_ Bazett thought as she walked through Fuyuki City a few hours after sunset.

Her attention suddenly sharpened when then sounds around her faded away, both birds and the distant hum of passing cars in the distance.

" _A Bounded Field."_ She instantly concluded. _"So, another magus – likely a fellow Master chosen by the Grail – decided to take me out before I can summon my Servant. Not a bad move… if I were a mere magus. I'll show them how foolish it is to ambush an Enforcer of the Clock Tower."_ She decided as she clenched her first, a few of the runes on her suit, gloves and shoes activating, strengthening both her strength and defense.

What she did **not** expect was for what appeared to be Werewolves and Werejaguars to begin approaching her in groups of three or four and begin attacking her.

" _These creatures… this is not the work of a Master, but of a Servant! A Caster or a Rider, perhaps."_ Bazett concluded grimly as she began increasing the output of her Runes even as she tore apart the lycanthropes that kept trying to either bite or shred her apart with their sharp claws.

Over the next couple hours, she killed dozens upon dozens of the creatures that _just kept coming_ , likely passing into the triple digits at some point, and as much as she hated to admit it, it was a sound strategy to use against her. As much as she was proud of her top-class combat power as far as Enforcers went, she was still only human and liable to succumb to exhaustion sooner or later. The creatures, on the other hand, kept coming likely as soon as they were summoned by what she by this point assumed to be Caster, if only due to the large prana reserves necessary to summon so many of these lycanthropes.

Eventually, the creatures seemed to run out and Bazett took a moment to catch her breath before hurrying off to find the summoner before he could send more creatures her way.

Before she could, however, a newcomer made its appearance known, causing Bazett to stiffen. After all, it was not every day that you saw a bipedal wolf clad in what appeared to be hunting gear for cold northern climates, including a riffle.

There was also the fact that this lycanthrope was about fifteen meters tall and everything on it was sized appropriately, including the rifle currently aimed her way.

Bazett managed to dodge the first shot and was very thankful she did, what with the five-meter-wide and two-meter-deep crater that formed at the impact site. She pushed even more of her dwindling prana into the Runes amplifying her strength and speed as she hurriedly made her way over to the huge creature and punched it in the back of the left knee as strongly as she could after jumping to the height needed to reach that body part.

The creature buckled and dropped to a knee, as she had intended, but unfortunately it had not been nearly enough to truly unbalance it, as she found out when a sweeping strike with the rifle sent her flying into and through a wall and two of the housed behind it before she skidded to a stop, grimacing both in pain from some fractured ribs and at the damage done to her suit, damaging her runic arrays and thus lowering her performance greatly.

" _This is not good…"_ Bazett though grimly before catching sight of her opponent and paling at the sight of large amounts of prana gathering in the rifle pointed her way. _"And that's even worse!"_ she panicked, sensing the sheer amount of power being compressed.

Deciding it was time to stop holding back, she quickly opened the cylinder-shaped container hanging at her waist and drew out one of the black metal balls within.

" **Gouging Sword of the War God…"** she whispered, bluish-white lightning flashing between her clenched right fist and the orb levitating above it, causing the orb to transform into a short sword, the blade emerging from the orb that became the handle, while a wide ring orbited around where the guards would have been, its insides covered by a stream of glowing runes **"Fragarach!"** Bazett declared, punching the short sword towards her enemy a moment after the huge lycanthrope had fired his energy rifle.

The thick light purple beam from the riffle made contact with the thin bluish-white beam from Bazett's attack… before seemingly inverting on itself, coalescing tightly around the bluish-white beam and allowing its power to be carried backwards and straight through the huge lycanthrope's heart, causing it to stiffen for a moment before dropping to the ground, dead.

A hit to the back of the head ended Bazett's celebration before it could even begin, knocking her out.

"Not bad, not bad at all… but still not good enough to let you participate in this Grail War." I commented as I dropped the **Presence Concealment** I had been hiding under. I glanced once more at the LV 87 hanging above Bazett's head before shaking my head. She may have some serious enhancements from her runes, but they can only boost her base abilities so much.

Just to be sure, I placed a **Sleep** spell on her before picking her up bridal style and hurrying over back to my house. Upon arriving, I dropped the now empty ID and went down into the secret basement I had built mine and Sakura's Workshop in. It was nothing much, merely a place we had permanently inscribed a few magic circles or held projects that needed time to reach their completion and could not be stored away. Everything else, every scrap of our research, was stored in our individual storages spaces my Inventory and Sakura's Imaginary Space, a form of Pocket Dimension unaffected by time and space, much my own.

"Ah, you're already here, Shirou." Sakura greeted me with a smile.

I took a moment to admire my girlfriend and lover. Long plum-purple hair reaching her bum, warm eyes of only slightly different color, just a slight bit reddish, delicate facial features with a pair of full lips that I was once more tempted to lean in and kiss. And that was just her head. My eyes trailed down to her slender neck, noticing the hickey I had left her this morning had healed, then further to her generous bosom that her casual dress did little to hide the size of, even if it did not show a hint of cleavage, then to her thin waist with a flat yet decently muscular abdomen, her wide hips followed by a pert ass and luscious legs that I could practically feel wrapped around me just as they were this morning…

"Enough undressing me with your eyes, Shirou-kun. If you're a good boy, you can do it literally later." She winked.

I suppressed a snort. I knew her well enough by now that 'good boy' or not, I was getting laid later. Ever since mine and Sakura's sex life began upon my return from Misaki Town, I had gained a healthy sexual appetite. Sakura, on the other hand, had quickly gone from tentative and curious to experienced and adventurous and then to insatiable and shameless. I was frankly unsure if there a surface within Fuyuki City we had _not_ had sex on, within an ID of course. Frankly, it was only thanks to my use of IDs that the entire city did not know just how promiscuous we were and how much of Sakura's 'shy and gentle' public persona was a big fat lie – which was all of it. Succubus was a good way to describe her personality.

" _And I probably made it even worse by giving her a copy of the Asmodeus Magic Crest."_ I snorted internally. "Right, let's get this over with. We also have some Summonings to do tonight." I reminded her so as to not get dragged to our bedroom as soon as we're done with Bazett.

As for what we wanted from Bazett, that was quite simple: her Command Spells and her blood.

I had thought long and hard on how I wanted this Grail War to go so as to get the most favorable result and among the conclusions I had reached, not letting Bazett perform the summoning in the first place was pretty high on my list of priorities.

The reason was simple. As capable and intelligent Bazett was, she had a blind spot for Kotomine who had apparently saved her life and humanity at some point during a Dead Apostle hunt a few years back. As such, she would be unwilling to listen to whatever arguments against the Fake Priest I would bring and likely rat me out to Kotomine, bring his unwanted attention upon me.

In addition, while it should be perfectly within my capabilities to **Trace** a **Rule Breaker** and steal Lancer Cu Chulainn's contract from Kotomine, it would once again draw attention to the fact that I can not only get a potentially lethal stab on a Servant, but that I could steal Servants which would bring every other participant in the War bar Sakura down on my head, Gilgamesh included.

There was also the simple fact that while an impressive warrior and Hero, Cu Chulainn was nowhere near strong enough to make a difference against the likes of Gilgamesh and Heracles, so I was better off taking Bazett's Command Seals before she used them and Summon myself a different Servant.

There was also the fact that this way Bazett got out of this alive and with all limbs attached, but as callous as it may sound I did not care much for her. I held no grudge or anything like that towards her, but I also did not have any reason to like her. I felt making her survive this mess alive was already generous enough on my part. And, had she heard the lewd suggestions Sakura made upon seeing a picture of the admittedly beautiful enforcer, I'm sure Bazett would have also been quick to agree with me.

" **Solomon's Ring."** I murmured, manifesting a glowing golden band on each of my fingers before touching Bazett's Command Spells, instantly transferring them to the back of my previously bare left hand. Moments later, I dismissed the skill I had gained from the Solomon Caster Class Card as it reminded me of what I had had to do to obtain it.

Namely, I had tracked down all 72 Magi bearing the 72 Magic Crests bestowed by King Solomon on his most impressive heir, stole said Magic Crests… and in most cases killed the bearers as well. I was not too bothered by the fact that I had to kill humans, the two human Matou' had been slain by me as well, if indirectly, but rather by the atrocities those magi had committed that prompted me to end their miserable lives.

From them, I had obtained 72 Magic Crests of 343 EX ranked Magic Circuits each which I became able to make my own after using the **Eroding Detachment** skill I had gained from Roa/Tohno SHIKI to assimilate foreign body parts into myself, transplanting the 72 Magic Crests without a hitch. After that, I was able to gain both the **Solomon's Ring** and **Summoning** skills from the Class Card containing the power of the King of Magic at Max LV.

Sure, I could have transplanted the Command Spells without this skill with enough ease, but it would take longer and there was always the risk of damaging Bazett's Magic Circuits in the process, which I did not want to happen.

While I was stealing her Command Spells from one arm, Sakura was stealing some of Bazett's blood from the other. After all, our other goal was to obtain the Irish magus' Sorcery Trait, the **Tradition Holder** that allowed her to create and use the Noble Phantasm **Fragarach** as she had done before my very eyes earlier. Her clan, the Fraga, received it a blessing for services rendered during the Age of the Gods. It allowed them to perform a minor blood ritual through which, over the course of a month, a ball of ordinary lead is turned into a Noble Phantasm.

And, thanks to the **Eroding Detachment** skill, it was well within our power to gain the **Tradition Holder** simply via drinking her blood – as opposed to cutting off parts of her body and eating them which was wrong on far too many labels for me to consider doing.

A minute later, we had drunk the blood and the Gamer interface informed us that we had indeed gained the **Tradition Holder** Sorcery Trait via the **Eroding Detachment** skill.

"Well, all that's left now is to dispose of the body." Sakura commented.

I gave her a dry look before waving my hand at Bazett, causing her to disappear in a flash of multicolored light.

"…I was joking." Sakura stared.

"Relax, I just sent her back to the Clock Tower a couple years into the future with the **Kaleidoscope**." I rolled my eyes.

Indeed, I could use the Second True Magic, the Operation of Parallel Wolds, **Kaleidoscope**. It, and the Fifth True Magic, **Magic Blue** , for that matter, had been almost laughably easy for me to learn via picking data from Zelretch and Aoko's profiles and compressing them into skill books. What's more, due to my inhumanly high MP, INT and WIS, I had been able to learn them straight at Rank A and only had to practice with them a lot to get them to LV Max. much easier than the Third True Magic, **Heaven's Feel** , which I got at Rank C and had to work my ass off to upgrade to A rank and get it up to LV Max.

Unfortunately, this was not enough to make me a Magician. I had not Mastered them, I had not truly attained them via reaching Akasha or at least as close as one could get without fading. It was basically the highest level that could be reached by an apprentice in learning a True Magic without actually becoming a Magician themselves.

Oh, I knew how to do it. How to upgrade those three skills to Rank EX and become a Magician. Even if the Gamer interface did not give me any hints, I had Zelretch and Aoko's profiles to show me how they attained their Magics and thus I could replicate their feats, if elsewhere than they did as once a Gate to Akasha is used on a spiritual ground, its sealed shut afterwards for as long as the Magician in question lives. And while I may not feel particularly close to either Zelretch or Aoko – having met them a grand total of once – I was neither desperate nor power-hungry enough to kill them just to take their spots.

It was perfectly within my reach, after all, to use other spiritual grounds to open a Gate to Akasha. Fuyuki, for example, was perfect for a Gate to obtain the **Heaven's Feel** and I planned on doing just that either during or after the Grail War. Once Angra Mainyu was no longer an issue, at least.

For the **Kaleidoscope** and the **Magic Blue** , I had selected a few other potential spots across the world. It was not like there was any big ceremony needed. I merely had to call upon the Magic within me and reach out with it via the power of the spiritual land under my feet that it was simple enough to draw upon for a few minutes, and just say the right words to activate the True Magic.

The only reason I had not done so already was due to the attention it would draw. There was a reason why the know Magicians could state with certainty that there existed a certain number of them. Aoko had certainly not shouted far and wide the she had attained the **Magic Blue** , but she still found Zelretch lounging on her couch one day and shamelessly eating her food. When a True Magic is obtained or activated, other existing Magicians feel it.

Hence why I was going to get the **Heaven's Feel** first. With me living in Fuyuki and the Grail War taking place, I had a perfect excuse for somehow obtaining it. It did not really matter how. You can't expect for a Magus to reveal his mysteries, never mind a Magician the secrets of his Magic. Besides, who in their right mind would dare demand answers from a Magician? Even the Dead Apostle Ancestors gave Magicians a wide berth, remembering fully well how their progenitor, Crimson Moon Brunestud, had been killed. The only people that were likely to ask questions were the other Magicians… or rather Zelretch. Aoko seemed sensible enough to not try, but Zelretch was probably going to find out either from me or by using the **Kaleidoscope** to examine the timeline until he got his answers.

No, the real problems would be their reaction to me also obtaining the **Kaleidoscope** and **Magic Blue**. Thankfully, True Magic did not decay the more people used it like Magecraft did, so they would not try to kill me to regain their lost power or something along those lines. But someone could decide I was too dangerous, beign a Triple Magician, and put a price on my head.

Hence why I was being very cautious about how I approached things.

Sakura was also able to use the **Kaleidoscope** and the **Heaven's Feel** , having gotten skill books for them from me but, so far, she was merely at rank C with both, having had to start at rank D due to having lower stats than I did when she learnt them. I had every intention on helping her along until she was a Magician in her own right, for either one of them, but I was not going to push her too hard. There was no rush, after all.

Which brought me back to the present, namely to what we had scheduled to do this evening.

Summoning our Servants.

"Let's put these fancy tattoos to good use, hm?" I suggested s I led Sakura to a portion of the Workshop. There, carved into the flat stone floor, was the Servant Summoning Circle, similar to the one upstairs in the shed. There were, however, several notable differences to it.

For one thing, while the circle in the shed _could_ be used for summoning, it had a different primary purpose, to help stabilize a Humanoid Lesser Grail like Irisviel von Einzbern and even Illyasviel though the younger girl did not actually need it, what with her being an improved design compared to her mother.

Another difference were the modifications I had made thanks to my LV Max **Summoning** skill, allowing for the Servants brought forth to be stronger then they normally would, given the limitations of their Servant Containers.

And lastly, this circle was empty. As in, merely a carving into the ground. It could not be used for anything. Not yet.

Piece by piece, I began extracting **Philosopher Stones** from my Inventory. They had been previously shaped to fit into the carvings, together forming the actual Servant Summoning Circle. One would wonder why I had not simple transmuted a few **Philosopher Stones** directly into the circle, and the answer was quite simple: it was entirely possible to blow up in my face or incorrectly summon a Servant ahead of time. As such, no magic would be cast to bring the pieces together or anything else before the summoning itself took place.

Once I was done putting the summoning circle together like a puzzle, I examined my work and upon deeming it appropriate I stepped back and invited Sakura forward. She would, after all, be the first to perform the summoning.

As she stepped forward and pulled the catalyst I had gotten her for her Imaginary Space Storage, I examined her stats once more.

 **Name: Matou Sakura**

 **Class: The Hollow Shadow**

 **Title: Shadow Princess**

 **Age: 16**

 **Level: 112 Next Level: 23%**

 **HP: 193.406,25/ 193.406,25**

 **MP: /**

 **HPR: 781,225% per min**

 **MPR: 798,21% per min**

 **STR: 3540,4**

 **VIT: 7712,25**

 **DEX: 3455,6**

 **INT: 7340**

 **WIS: 7282,1**

 **LUCK: 3627,85**

 **Elemental Affinity: Hollow (Imaginary Numbers), Water**

 **Origin: Hollow**

 **Point: 0**

 **Money: 251.482.000¥**

All in all, she looked damn impressive to the outside observer… but I, however, knew exactly the origin of those stats and it left me unsatisfied. For one things, Sakura had a **Philosopher Stone** implanted in her just as I did, giving her a +1000 to all her stats. In addition, a huge chunk of her impressive stats was due to being in a party with me and receiving some bonuses from my Gamer ability, chief among them being the threshold bonuses for her base stats reached 50, 100 and 250 points. Should something disrupt my Gamer ability, her stats would drop back to the 300-400 range with only her base INT and WIS beign over 400. Last but not least, she had used all her points to get this strong which, while not actually wrong, did mean she would not have any miraculous powerups anytime soon should the need arrive.

I, on the other hand… we…

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 401 Next Level: 54,5%**

 **HP: 758.753,75** **758.753,75**

 **MP: ,125/** **,125**

 **HPR: 3042,615% per min**

 **MPR: 3613,57% per min**

 **STR: 12.939,25**

 **VIT: 30.326,15**

 **DEX: 13.647,35**

 **INT: 33.984,9**

 **WIS: 33.935,7**

 **LUCK: 9504,6**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2000**

 **Money:**

…Yeah, even I had to admit I was pretty damn broken. The threshold bonuses for reaching 500 in my base stats alone were a cheat, +100% in every stat. Add in the passive bonuses for three True Magics and the **Type-Fake** – that I gained from Arcueid's profile once my **Child of Nature** skill was upgraded to EX – which gave me +2000 points in every stat… well, it was no damn surprise I was so broken.

Hell, I had more than half the prana Dark Sakura did when connected to Akasha via the Greater Grail! Half the power of a Counter Guardian! It was for this reason that I did not worry overly much about one of Alaya's dogs killing me while I attempt to attain my Three True Magics.

And I could only get more broken as I was certain 1000 base points in stats was another threshold that would give a hefty bonus. I was not there yet, not even if I used all my hoarded unused stat points, but it would happen eventually.

Though frankly, I was prouder of having repeatedly killed freaking **Fafnir** in the Dragon ID that had levels 251-300 with **Fafnir** as the Boss himself at 305. Both I and Sakura had bathed in the overgrown lizard's blood at least twice, just in case the effects stacks. Either way, we were pretty damn close to invulnerable now as far as physical and most magical attacks went, but we were perfectly aware that all it took was for a Dragon-Slayer weapon to bypass much of our defense.

Snapping out of my introspection, I turned my attention to Sakura beginning her summoning.

" _ **Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.  
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.  
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).  
Repeat every five times.  
Simply, shatter once filled.  
I announce.  
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.  
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.  
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.  
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"**_ Sakura finished in a high tone, causing an explosion of power from within the circle, unleashing a thick prana-mist even as the **Traced** Catalyst was consumed entirely.

With a wave if my hand and a hint of power, I easily banished the mist to reveal the figure within the circle. The Servant Sakura had summoned.

"I have been summoned under the Lancer Class. Are you my Master?" the pale skinned, white haired, green-eyed Karna inquired as he gazed upon Sakura.

"I am. My name is Matou Sakura. I look forward to working with you, Karna." Sakura smiled.

The reason for having Sakura have Karna as her Servant is quite simple: Karna is a nigh-invulnerable badass who will be perfectly capable of keeping my girlfriend safe, as well as take out Gilgamesh with his Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm. Add in his armor, and even if Gilgamesh catches him with the **Chain of Heaven** , **Enkidu** , it won't be that much of a problem since while **Enkidu** can restrain the power of those possessing **Divinity** , it won't affect a permanently active Noble Phantasm such as **Kavacha and Kundala**.

"I see you have already formed an alliance with another Master." Karna commented as he eyed me.

"Yes, this is my boyfriend Emiya Shirou." Sakura introduced.

"Very well. I will leave the matter of who receives the wish to you, then." Karna nodded. "I admit to not having a wish for the Grail, so it does not concern me."

"Well, that's a relief since there is no wish from the Grail." I said in a grim tone. "Seventy years ago, one of the Founding Families of the Grail War, the Einzbern, used their knowledge of the System and likely a backdoor they left to cheat and introduce an Eight Servant Class, Avenger, in their attempt at summoning a full Divine Spirit. They instead summoned the human, pre-deification form, of Angra Mainyu who was weak and died quickly. And, as his legend goes, he ascended to godhood upon his death, within the Greater Grail which he horribly tainted. Now, any wish made on the Grail will result in destruction and Angra Mainyu being born into the world to wipe out humanity. As such, we cannot allow the Grail to be completed and a wish to be made upon it."

"Hence you will insure the necessary number of Servants to power the Grail will not die via having multiple Servants yourselves. Clever." Karna commented.

"I've also set up multiple Lesser Grails across the City and have a few on hand. Each can only contain the power of a single Servant, thus eliminating the possibility of enough power being gathered for the Grail to manifest." I added.

"Then we merely need to eliminate the enemy Servants. Sounds straightforward enough." Karna nodded.

"Actually, we'll look into making more Servants withdraw from the Grail War on their own." Sakura corrected. "We already have a Servant in mind who desires a new chance at life, Incarnation, which is within our power to grant her."

"With a Servant being Incarnated and leaving the city, it further lowers the chances of the Grail being completed." I explained.

"Very well." Karna nodded. "When shall I meet your Servant?"

"Servants, actually." I corrected. "I've managed to acquired a second set of unused Command Spells. The previous owner is alive and well; I merely sent her away and made sure she won't be able to return to Fuyuki for a couple of weeks. I doubt the Grail War will last longer than that." I added at the slight forming frown on Lancer's face. "As for my Servants, I am about to summon them. We simply decided that with your armor, there would be less to worry about if the Servants I summon detect you and react violently."

"Hm, very well. Carry on, I am curious who my comrades for this War shall be." Karna inclined his head.

"Speaking of the War, do you wish to stick around afterwards or return to the Throne of Heroes?" Sakura inquired.

"Do you have need of me after the War?" Karna asked and when Sakura shook her head. "Then I have no reason to remain."

"If that is your decision, then so be it." I nodded. I was slightly disappointed, but I would not force Karna to remain. "Now, please move aside so I may summon my Servants." I requested and Lancer moved to his Master's side while I began extracting another set of **Philosopher Stone** components for a summoning circle from my Inventory.

It took me a few minutes to make sure I assembled it perfectly and that there were no residues from Sakura's summoning that would affect my own attempt before concluding everything was in order and setting my **Traced** Catalyst onto the circle before stepping back and beginning the chant while feeding enormous amounts of power to the circle.

" _ **Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.  
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.  
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).  
Repeat every five times.  
Simply, shatter once filled.  
I announce.  
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.  
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.  
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.  
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"**_ I called out and watched with a smile as in a burst of power my Servant manifested. I easily banished the mist and gazed upon her.

A revealing blue and black Heian-style kimono, golden eyes framed by pink hair from which a pair of golden-orange fox ears poked out, and last but not least three golden-orange fluffy fox tails swishing behind her, attached to her tailbone.

"I, Tamamo no Mae have answered you call as Caster! Pleased to meet you, Goshijin-sama!" Tamamo smiled widely.

"Likewise, Tamamo. My name is Emiya Shirou." I began before gesturing towards the other two in the room "These are my girlfriend and fellow Maser Matou Sakura and her Servant Lancer Karna. They will be our allies for this Grail War. You see…" I quickly explained to her how things stood.

She was notably disappointed when I revealed to already have a girlfriend and rather annoyed when the corruption of the Holy Grail came up, but after Sakura took her aside for a whispered discussion for a few minutes she had notably cheered up and informed me she would be sticking around after the War, though she had yet to decide whether Incarnation was necessary given the sheer amount of power she was receiving from me.

I soon moved on to summon my second Servant, once more with a Catalyst. And, like before, they answered in a burst of power and prana-mist.

"Emperor Nero has answered your call as Saber, my Praetor!" the beautiful green-eyed blonde wearing a revealing red dress declared cheerfully and after introductions I once more gave her the explanation on the Grail. She was not bothered by either the alliance or the lack of a wish from the Grail, but readily accepted to remain at my side after the War ended if only out of curiosity for this era and her thirst for adventure.

I had originally wanted to summon Artoria Pendragon as Saber, but after thinking it through I realized I did not really have a reason to. I already had her Class Card so **Excalibur** was on hand if needed. Plus, due to her not being actually dead yet, she would be unable to Astralize and thus stand out, meaning I could not bring her around with me to school. In addition, her grudge towards Kiritsugu, her obsession with the Grail and erasing her past as well as her history with Gilgamesh made her rather unpalatable.

Nero, on the other hand, was perfect for what I needed from here. And with her **Imperial Privilege** skill, she would only get stronger. All in all, I was quite pleased with how things were going so far. And especially with the power levels of our Servants.

 **Class: Lancer**

 **Name: Karna**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Alignment: Lawful Good**

 **Attribute: Heaven**

 _ **Parameters**_

 **Strength: A**

 **Endurance: A+**

 **Agility: A+**

 **Mana: A**

 **Luck: A+**

 **N. Phantasm: EX**

 _ **Class Skills**_

 **Magic Resistance: B**

 **Riding: A**

 _ **Personal Skills**_

 **Discernment of the Poor: A**

 **Uncrowned Martial Arts: –**

 **Mana Burst (Flames): A**

 **Divinity: A**

 _ **Noble Phantasm**_

 **Kavacha and Kundala (Anti-Unit (Self)): A**

 **Brahmastra (Anti-Army; Anti-Country): A**

 **Brahmastra Kundala (Anti-Country): A+**

 **Vasavi Shakti (Anti-Divine): EX**

 **Class: Caster**

 **Name: Tamamo no Mae**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Alignment: Neutral Evil**

 **Attribute: Heaven**

 _ **Parameters**_

 **Strength: A**

 **Endurance: B**

 **Agility: A**

 **Mana: A++**

 **Luck: A+**

 **N. Phantasm: A**

 _ **Class Skills**_

 **Territory Creation: A+**

 _ **Personal Skills**_

 **Goddess Metamorphosis: A**

 **Divinity: A++**

 **Witchcraft: EX**

 **Shapeshift: A**

 **Fox's Wedding: EX**

 _ **Noble Phantasm**_

 **Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu on the Weight Stone under the Sunlit Watery Heavens (Anti-Army): A**

 **Class: Saber**

 **Name: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Alignment: Chaotic Good**

 **Attribute: Human**

 _ **Parameters**_

 **Strength: A**

 **Endurance: B**

 **Agility: A+**

 **Mana: A+**

 **Luck: A+**

 **N. Phantasm: B++**

 _ **Class Skills**_

 **Magic Resistance: B**

 **Riding: B**

 _ **Personal Skills**_

 **Imperial Privilege: EX**

 **Migraine: B**

 **Thrice-setting Sun: A**

 _ **Noble Phantasm**_

 **Aestus Domus Aurea (Anti-Team): B**

 **Laus Saint Claudius (Anti-Team): B**

 **Fax Caelestis (Anti-Unit): B++**


	9. Chapter 9

"So, Master, what shall we do first?" Karna inquired the morning after he, Nero and Tamamo had been summoned.

"Well, for the rest of the day, we're going to take your three and pit you against some monsters to allow you to learn how to fight together as a group." I explained to the demigod. "You see, despite how powerful each of you three are, there are two big threats in this Grail War that may be beyond what you can handle individually."

"Given that you say there are two with such confidence leads me to believe you know who they are." Karna commented.

"Yes, both are demigods for starters, extremely powerful and famous ones." Sakura picked up the explanation. "The first one whom we knew of longer is Gilgamesh. He was summoned as Archer in the previous Grail War ten years ago an ended up being incarnated by accident in the disastrous aftermath of the Grail being destroyed. His Noble Phantasm, **Gate of Babylon** , holds the prototypes of all other legendary weapons and all other treasures, as according to his legend he had acquired all the world's treasures."

"But what makes him even more dangerous is the way he approaches this War." I frowned. "He is not only aware of the evil that lurks in the Grail, but he intends to unleash it upon the world, with the intent of 'culling the humans unworthy of living in his realm', to quote him. I don't know if he was always like this or being incarnated by the dark powers of the tainted Grail has corrupted him, but he needs to die."

"The fact that he possessed an Anti-World Noble Phantasm of EX rank as well as the Anti-Divine **Chains of Heaven** also makes him a very dangerous threat." Sakura added.

"The **Chains of Heaven** that bound the Bull of Heaven?" Tamamo frowned. "That… will be a problem for me and Karna-san."

"The **Chains** come out of the portals of the **Gate of Babylon** to bind the target, so you'll need to pay close attention to your surroundings in order to dodge." I nodded. "Karna may be able to handle it since his armor will protect him from whatever is thrown at him even while bound, but it's best not to be caught in it anyway. As for you… while you may lack the raw brute strength to break loose, I do believe that using your **Shapeshift** skill to make yourself small will allow you to slip out of their grip."

"Umu, a sound plan, Master!" Nero proclaimed. "And, while he is distracted with trying to taka advantage of the Divinity they possess – which he hates if rumors are to be believed – I will take him by surprise and eliminate him!"

"If you can, then that's what we'll do." I nodded. "The trick is to surround him. He needs to focus to a degree on where the **Gate of Babylon** opens and what comes out so attacking him from behind is always a sound strategy. I'm pretty confident in our chances as long as he does not draw Ea, that red and black drill-like sword of his that destroys worlds."

"What of the other demigod?" Karna inquired.

"He's both easier and harder to deal with than Gilgamesh. He's the Berserker Heracles that the Einzbern Master has summoned. They had her summon him a couple of weeks before the Grail System even began supporting the existence of the Servants." I explained with a note of disgust.

"Heracles, as a Berserker no less." Nero shivered in excitement. "It will be a grand battle!"

"If you say so." I shrugged. "Truthfully, Berserker is the worst class Heracles can be summoned in. Now, if he were an Archer…" I grimaced.

"It's because the **Mad Enhancement** skill, especially as high as his is, makes him unable to use all but his permanently active Noble Phantasm." Sakura continued. "But, between his monstrous raw power and **God Hand** giving him 12 lives, can one really say he needs anything else?"

"Twelve lives?" Tamamo asked in shock. "That will be a problem, Goshujin-sama."

"Oh, it gets better." I smiled sardonically. "Each time he revives, he becomes immune to what had killed him. So, we need to make our attacks count. Thankfully, attacks powerful enough will be able to shave off more than one life at a time.

"There's also the fact that no attack under A rank will get past that thick skin of his." Sakura added.

"Yeah, that too." I nodded in agreement. "There is one other thing I feel the need to draw attention to. Berserker's master is my stepsister. Under no circumstances will you kill her or do any significant harm to her." He gave the three Servants a stern look. "I know she will seem a bit unpleasant, but it's because of how her family has treated her due to dad's actions at the end of the last War, filling her head with lies to make her more hostile against me."

"She is also the Lesser Grail in which the souls of the killed Servants would normally be stored in, so you need to avoid killing any of the Servants until Shirou severs her connection to the Grail System so that our own Lesser Grails will take up the job."

"Umu, understood Praetor! We shall help you rescue your little sister." Nero nodded.

"Technically, she's a year older than me, but she does look about ten years old due to the modifications the Einzbern did to her. It's another thing I'll have to fix." I commented with a frown. "Truthfully, if I didn't know the Einzbern had left some safeties inside her to kill her should she be taken from them, I would have retrieved her from Germany years ago. However, I lacked the ability to fix the damage done to her until recently. As things stand, even if she survives the War she would die in a year or so."

"But you can fix that now." Sakura squeeze my hand reassuringly.

"Right." I gave her a smile.

"So, you mentioned something about seeing us fight?" Tamamo spoke up.

"Right. First as you are and then with another… boost I can give you." I smiled, anticipating their reactions to his Gamer ability. _"Speaking of which, I never did take a look at their stats with_ _ **Observe**_ _, just with the_ _ **Master Vision**_ _ability."_ I mused even as I proceeded to rectify that oversight.

 **Name: Karna**

 **Class: Lancer**

 **Title: Hero of Charity, Son of the Sun God**

 **Level: 300 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 627.228/ 627.228**

 **MP: 70.000.000/ 70.000.000**

 **HPR: 140% per min**

 **MPR: 70% per min**

 **STR: 700**

 **VIT: 1400**

 **DEX: 1400**

 **INT: 500**

 **WIS: 700**

 **LUCK: 1400**

 **Name: Tamamo no Mae**

 **Class: Caster**

 **Title: Nine Tailed Fox, Avatar of Amaterasu**

 **Level: 300 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 234.315/ 234.315**

 **MP: 210.000.000/ 210.000.000**

 **HPR: 50% per min**

 **MPR: 280% per min**

 **STR: 700**

 **VIT: 500**

 **DEX: 700**

 **INT: 2800**

 **WIS: 2800**

 **LUCK: 1400**

 **Name: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus**

 **Class: Saber**

 **Title: Emperor of Roses, Beast of Babylon**

 **Level: 300 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 213.750/ 213.750**

 **MP: 140.000.000/ 140.000.000**

 **HPR: 50% per min**

 **MPR: 70% per min**

 **STR: 700**

 **VIT: 500**

 **DEX: 1400**

 **INT: 500**

 **WIS: 700**

 **LUCK: 1400**

" _Very impressive. And this is without any Gamer bonuses, even! Still, their HPR and MPR are actually dependent on me and Sakura since both their reserves and the energy used to restore their bodies comes from us."_ I concluded. _"And their huge MP is likely due to the simple fact that they are Servants and their Servant Container is materialized prana, after all."_

"Then let's get right to it, Master!" Nero grinned widely.

" **ID Create: Dragon."** I smirked and the world around us shifted as we found ourselves inside an Illusion Barrier.

"Something… is wrong." Caster immediately frowned. "I can no longer sense the Grail or receive prana from it." She stated with Lancer and Saber quickly confirming the same thing.

"This is a separate dimension, similar yet different to a Reality Marble, that my ability allows me to create. Don't worry about prana, both Sakura and I can support you without the Grail without issue." I assured them. "So, why don't you three go outside and kill as many dragons as you can." I suggested.

"…Dragons?" Nero asked while the other two stared.

"None of them should be stronger than you individually, but make sure you're not swarmed by them." Sakura advised.

"Except the Boss. You'll probably have to work together to beat him." I added. "And, after you kill him, we'll have to decide who will bathe in his blood to gain a near-invulnerable body. Either Nero or Tamamo. Sorry, Karna, but you already have your armor for that." I explained.

"Hm, that sounds like the legend of Siegfried who bathed in the blood of Fafnir." Tamamo commented.

"Unsurprising, since the Boss is Fafnir." I chuckled. "That being said, I will be double-checking to see if you are completely naked so as to not ger any weak spots like Siegfried did. Also, we're not sure what will happen if your drink the blood given that you are Servants but trying to acquire a Dragon Magic Core as you are now might create an instability in you Servant Containers so don't. we can do this again after the War, when you have bodies of your own." I advised.

"Shirou and I have not tried getting Dragon Magic Cores either." Sakura added. "Simply bathing in Fafnir's blood does not give an actual weakness to Dragon Slayer abilities or weapons, it just lets them bypass our nigh-invulnerability. If we take part of Fafnir _inside_ our bodies, however, that will give us an actual weakness to Dragon Slayers."

"Something we really don't want right now, what with Gilgamesh having thousands of such weapons in his vault." I pointed out. "Now, head out and kill some dragons. Sakura and I will stand back and support you only when necessary."

"Remember, this is training for your teamwork, so try working together." Sakura reminded.

"Just one thing, before we go." Karna spoke up. "If you two have already bathed in Fafnir's blood, that means you must have killed him at least once before."

"Four times." Sakura corrected. "We bathed in his blood four time, but Shirou at least killed him about ten times that."

"I… see." The demigod stared at me. "Exactly how powerful are you?"

"Let me put it this way." I smiled. "I could support all the Servants in a Grail War without the help of the Grail System, and I am as close as one can get to mastering True Magic without actually being a Magician."

Karna hummed in understanding before bowing slightly to Sakura before turning and leaving the copy of my house, my own two Servants following suit after some teasing remarks about how I wanted to see them completely naked.

The following several hours were quite entertaining for both me and Sakura as we hid under our respective **Presence Concealment** skills to avoid attention from the dragons as we watched the spectacle. And needless to say, we enjoyed it quite a bit. Not only because it was our Servants out there killing dragons left and right, but because there was someone else being chased around and almost set on fire – or actually set on fire, even – by the damn overgrown fire-breathing lizards.

I had personally gotten myself some satisfaction the first – and only – time I had Sakura try to fight them all by herself, the satisfaction of someone finally sharing my pain, but that was short-lived as I could not bear so see her get too wounded just to learn a lesson on survival and choosing one's battles.

But the three Servants? The dragons ranged between levels 251 and 300, with only Fafnir being LV 305. With each of the Servants being LV 300, the should not and did not have issues defeating any of the dragons one-on-one, unlike Sakura had.

It was when they started swarming them in groups of ten or more that they really began feeling the metaphorical – and not – heat. I had to heal Tamamo and Nero a good dozen times before they fully managed to learn how to avoid being caught up by so many enemies, which was possibly giving the fox-girl some unpleasant flashbacks of her own death, even if it was an army of humans responsible rather than a horde of dragons.

As for Karna… well, he also learnt the hard way that being near invulnerable did not mean he was completely invulnerable. And, if he had to spend a few minutes or more as the chew-toy of a dragon or more, well, such things happened if one was not careful enough.

In the end, the three managed to take down the Dragon Boss, Fafnir, on their own, without either me or Sakura having to step in, merely supporting them from a distance with healing and our prana reserves. Then, between themselves, they decided to have Tamamo bathe in Fafnir's blood for a very simple reason: they were hoping Nero's **Imperial Privilege** skill will copy it just as it had Karna's **Mana Burst (Flames)** skill and Tamamo's **Shapeshift** … temporarily of course. But, given that 'temporarily' mean 24 hours and there was not restriction on recopying those skills again right afterwards…

Needless to say, it took a while for Tamamo to cover herself entirely with the dragon blood, making sure not even a strand of hair or fur from her three bushy tails was left un-soaked under the vigilant eyes of Nero, Sakura and myself.

"So, what did you think of our performance, Praetor? We were amazing, weren't we?" Nero preened.

"You were pretty impressive." I had to admit. I had seen stronger, true, but you can't exactly expect a Servant to live up to the power of a Type or a Beast, or even a Magician for that matter, what with Servants merely being fragments of their Heroic Spirit selves back in the Throne of Heroes. "Which makes me think you will even more powerful after the boos I'm going to give you… later." I added when I noticed the looks all three Servants were giving me, even the calm and collected Karna. "We need to register as participants to the Church Supervisor, who unfortunately is also an enemy, Gilgamesh's collaborator in fact. I don't want him to know just how strong you can be. Besides, we can be sure the Church is being spied on by the other Masters in the War."

"Speaking of Kotomine, who will you be going to see him with? Saber or Caster?" Sakura inquired. "It would draw too much attention if you reveal from the start that you have two Servants." She pointed.

"Nero." I answered immediately before adding at the disappointed look on Tamamo's face. "She is nearly the splitting image of the Saber of the last war, only more… developed. Given the interest Gilgamesh had in her, it might be enough to draw him out early on in the War."

"Alright, then, but I'm not waiting back here either." Tamamo declared. "I won't go with you inside the Church and I will keep my distance for a while when you are near it, though." She added.

"Fair enough." I nodded in acceptance. "Anyway, Sakura will go first and then I a few days later."

"Why not go together? It should be pretty obvious you would collaborate given your relationship." Karna commented.

"For one thing, as far as everyone outside us here is concerned, Sakura and I merely live together." I replied. "The second reason is that Kotomine Kirei is a bastard and will likely interpret us registering separately as us being opponents in the War and try to pit us against each other. Letting him think that will allow us to surprise him a bit later on when we move against him." I explained.

"Exactly what will you do with him?" Nero tilted her head.

"Destroy his body completely. His heart was destroyed by my dad at the end of the last Grail War and he got a replacement out of materialized curses from Angra Mainyu, who sensed what kind of wicked person he was." I replied.

"Umu, I'll keep that in mind, Praetor." The blonde nodded.

 _Timeskip – three days later_

"I have been expecting you, Emiya Shirou." Kotomine Kirei greeted dramatically as soon as I entered the Church that afternoon. "I had a feeling the Holy Grail will select you as a participant, like your father before you."

"Is that so? Then, do you know what my wish would be as well?" I arched an eyebrow at the drama queen before me. _"He has been spending far too much time around Gilgamesh. That guy is a full-blown diva."_ I mentally deadpanned.

"Let me guess, you wish to save the world? Or rather humanity?" Kotomine asked with mirth.

"Of course not." I deadpanned, throwing the fake priest off balance.

"You… do not?" Kotomine blinked.

"I know this will come as a surprise to you, being a man of God and all, but do you truly believe humans to be that weak that they need saving?" I asked in derision. "Humanity has survived the Age of the Gods, the countless wars that followed that risked its extinction, has advanced its technology to the point that only Five True Magics remain, has managed to place a man on the Moon, something not even the gods have managed and which was believed to be within the reach of only Types… no, humanity does not need saving. Whatever happens, humanity will survive. If there is one thing I know, it's that humanity can endure and overcome any obstacle thrown its way, given enough time. Don't forget, even Zelretch killed Type-Moon as a human and merely got turned into a Dead Apostle by Crimson Moon Brunestud out of spite as a last-ditch effort." I reminded.

"…Fascinating, I admit I have never heard anyone put it that way before." Kotomine mused. "But, we seem to have gone off track."

"Right, I have summoned Servant Saber." I gestured to my side where Nero materialized.

Kotomine's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly masked it. Clearly, he had been expecting me to summon the prim and proper King Arthur, not a bustier shameless doppelganger in a scandalous red dress.

"I… see." Kotomine blinked a few times. "Very well, I acknowledge your participation in the Fifth Grail War. Rejoice, your wish may be granted!" he exclaimed grandly before giving me a questioning look. "What is your wish, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Waffles." I replied in a firm tone.

"…Waffles?" Kotomine repeated, rather perplex.

"Umu, waffles." Nero nodded seriously before Astralizing again.

"I… see." Kotomine said in a tone that implied otherwise.

"It's kike mapo tofu for you." I clarified.

"Ah." Kotomine nodded sagely. "I understand completely."

" _No, you don't. If you did, you would know we're messing with you."_ I snorted in amusement in the privacy of my mind while maintaining a straight face. "Well, I'll be off then."

"Yes, good luck. And remember, should you lose your Servant, you may seek shelter here for the rest of the War's duration." Kotomine informed me.

"I'll keep that in mind." _"To absolutely avoid, that is."_ I nodded before turning on my heel and leaving.

Rather then return home, however, I headed straight toward Homurahara Academy where I knew Sakura and Lancer would be having a showdown with Rin and her recently summoned Archer, the later duo being out on their first night of patrolling.

My and Sakura's little alliance, however, did not need to patrol in order to gather information on the competition. Not only due to my future knowledge – which, admittedly, was not so certain anymore due to all the changes I've made, such as summoning Tamamo a Caster – but due to Tamamo being able to scout the entire city by herself via the powers of her mirror Noble Phantasm. Of course, that was not to say Sakura and I did not have our own scouting methods, but with how efficient Tamamo's mirror was, allowing her to scout the whole city within less then a minute, we did not bother much.

Nero and I soon arrived at school – with Tamamo not far behind but still keeping some distance at my request – and gazed upon the battle between Sakura's Lancer Karna and Rin's Archer EMIYA. It was not much of a contest. Even if EMIYA could read Karna's movements to an extent via the history of his spear, even if the Archer managed to boost his physical capabilities somewhat with **Reinforcement** , his base stats were still **Strength** : D, **Endurance** : C, **Agility** : C, **Mana** : B and **Luck** : E. Compared to Karna whose base stats were all A rank and above even without boosting them further with his **Mana Burst (Flames)** … yeah, EMIYA did not have a chance.

Still, I had something else in mind for my alternate future self, not him being killed by Lancer. As such, I had Nero stand back and casually walked into the sport's field and towards the two battling Servants, seemingly without a care in the world, even with hands in my pockets.

"Emiya-kun?!" Rin exclaimed in surprise at my appearance and… nonchalance.

"You know, Tohsaka, after all I've heard about you, I did not think I could be more disappointed in you." I commented in a flat tone, throwing a suggestive look towards Sakura who was leaning casually against the main school building – it was not like she had any reason to worry about Rin, after all, as she outclassed the girl in every field even without my Gamer ability further boosting her powers. "But then you went and summoned that thing as your Servant." I shook my head in disgust.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Rin demanded indignantly.

"Seriously, Tohsaka? You summon one of Alaya's Counter Guardians in a ritual meant to reach Akasha and gain True Magic, and you have the gall to ask what's wrong?" I snorted.

"W-What?" Rin's head whipped towards her Servant. "Archer?"

The tanned white-haired in black armor and red cloak did not answer her and instead focused on me with narrowed eyes… which widened in shock moments later. The reason? Even with him instinctively using his **Traced** blades **Kanshou and Bakuya** to guard, my hand still punched through both them and his chest as I impaled him with my arm up to my elbow.

"Try using a **Broken Rule Breaker** on your contract, you fool." I told EMIYA quietly, causing him to blink in shock before his body broke down into mores of prana that were collected by the Lesser Grail… the one I by left hand, that is.

Given that I had access to most of the Einzbern's alchemical knowledge via the Irisviel Caster Class Card, it had not been hard to create Lesser Grails for myself and then modify them to suit my needs. For example, unlike the one that lay within Illya's heart, my Lesser Grails could only hold the soul of just one dead Servant. Furthermore, unlike Illya's, mine did not wait to return the souls of the Servants back to Throne of Heroes for when six of them had died. It did so immediately… or rather, returned their egos to the Throne, leaving their powers within the Lesser Grail.

Hell, my Lesser Grails did not even look like a cup when filled. Rather, they were originally purple crystal orbs the size of my fist that turned golden upon being filled. It had been surprisingly easy to make them, but, then again, I did not have to waste years manufacturing Soul Stones to use as regents since I had them on hand from the various monsters I killed in IDs.

Pocketing the now glowing golden crystal orb – or rather discretely storing it in my Inventory – I turned my attention towards Rin just in time to see Sakura appear behind her shocked estranged sister and knock her out with powerful sleeping spell shot at point blank.

"I'm not carrying her." I spoke up. "Even with my good reputation in the city, being seen carrying an unconscious girl in the dead of night will draw unwanted questions."

"It's fine, I can carry her myself." Sakura smiled in amusement as, at her strength, Rin might as well be a feather. "Also, to not draw attention…" she promptly drew the Ophila Rune in mid-air with her prana and anchored it onto Rin's sweater, causing a minor Bounded Field to manifest around her that distracted attention of regular humans from the twin-tailed girl. "How did it go at the Church?" Sakura inquired as he set Rin on her back like a sack of potatoes and motioned for Karna to Astralize.

"Pretty good, I think. I believe I might have gotten through to Kotomine regarding the greatness of waffles." I replied.

Sakura rolled her eyes as we left the school together, heading home.

"So, what are you going to do with Archer?" Sakura eventually asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Well, I already have his Class Card, so that leaves…" I trailed off.

" **Power Enhancement Crystal**." Sakura nodded in understanding. "You're the one who will use it. You'll get the most benefits from it due to your compatibility." She remarked.

Since allowing the Holy Grail to materialize was not in our plans, we had to come up with _something_ to use the powers of the fallen Servants for. The first option was to turn the filled Lesser Grails into Class Cards, allowing us to use the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirits whenever we needed to.

However, we knew there would be at least one Servant in this Grail War for whom I already had a Class Card. And, since I did not need duplicates, I came up with another use for the powers of those Servants: **Power Enhancement Crystals**. They were much like the **Philosopher Stone** Sakura and I already had within us, only they would dissolve and be fully integrated into us upon absorption, allowing us to assimilate more than one unlike the **Philosopher Stones**. Furthermore, they were also supposed to grant us access to he skills and Noble Phantasms of the Servants they were made out of if our compatibility was high enough, but since the only one we expected any of us to be compatible with was Archer and I already had his skills and Reality Marble, all I was likely to get extra from him were a few more blueprints in **Unlimited Blade Works** , if that much.

" _Speaking of gains."_ I glanced at the notice windows that I had ignored and left in the corner of my vision, drawing them forth now.

 **You have killed Servant Archer, Counter Guardian EMIYA! +15.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 402 Next Level: 50,5%**

 **HP: 758.753,75/** **758.753,75**

 **MP: ,125/** **,125**

 **HPR: 3042,615% per min**

 **MPR: 3613,57% per min**

 **STR: 12.939,25**

 **VIT: 30.326,15**

 **DEX: 13.647,35**

 **INT: 33.984,9**

 **WIS: 33.935,7**

 **LUCK: 9504,6**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2005**

 **Money:**

" _Hmph, didn't even give any loot. Though I suppose the_ _ **Power Enhancement Crystal**_ _may count as such."_ I mused.

I was just about to suggest to Sakura that we slip into an Empty ID and simply use our actual speed to get home rather than continue with the snail pace most humans considered normal, when a young female voice spoke up from ahead of us.

"I've finally found you, _Onii-chan_!"


	10. Chapter 10

"I've finally found you, _Onii-chan_!"

"Yes, congratulations on your achievement, Onee-chan. Would you like a medal for that? It's not like you had my address and could have come visit at any time in the past _couple weeks_ you've been in Fuyuki, right?" I deadpanned right back at Illya.

Clearly taken aback by my reaction, little Illyasviel von Einzbern took a few seconds to regain her equilibrium.

Taking advantage of that, I quickly dragged all those present, all our Servants included, into an Empty ID. Sakura and I did not so much as blink from the sudden increase in the maintenance cost for our Servants, but Illya visibly flinched before steeling herself to endure the drain. She had supported Berserker for weeks even before the Grail had begun helping out, so she could do so again if necessary.

That did not mean, however, that she enjoyed it. Not one bit.

"Then again, you're late by five years rather than just two weeks. Though, I suppose that blame can be laid at your grandfather's feet, just like everything else that's gone wrong in our lives." I continued.

"Berserker." Illya commanded with a glare at me. Clearly, she did not like how I was taking her appearance so calmly, rather than surprised or whatever she had expected from what bullshit Old Acht had fed her. "Kill them all!"

"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅ **!"**

The dark-skinned behemoth had barely had time to materialize and begin radiating his aura of death and madness before he found himself smacked a good twenty meters away by my Saber materializing with her sword already mid-swing. The incredible skill and instincts Heracles had, however, still showed in that he had managed to block Nero's **Aestus Estus** with his own crude stone axe-sword, even if the force behind it had sent him flying.

"…Eh?!" Illya blinked and turned to stare at the skimpy-dressed blonde not only keeping up with the Greatest Hero of Greece but _pushing him back_.

"That's my Saber." I helpfully informed her, causing her to flinch back. Unsurprising, given that I had suddenly appeared right next to her. "Amazing, isn't she?"

"She's… adequate." Illya grumbled even as she slowly backed away from me, her eyes flickering between me and the battling Servants.

"Still, it might be too much to ask, for her to face your Heracles alone." I remarked. "Caster. Please support Saber." I told the fox-girl that had materialize at my side as soon as I called for her.

"Hai, Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo grinned and joined the fray.

A few seconds later, Karna did as well and soon enough Heracles died for the first time via Saber plunging her sword through his chest and igniting it with **Mana Burst (Flames)** for an extra kick.

"That's one life down, or was it enough to take two?" I eyed Illya.

"…two." The albino grimaced before looking at me again with a confused look in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I have no intent on harming you. What kind of big brother would I be if I hurt my adorably cute little sister?" I gave her a wink.

To my amusement, Illya flushed in embarrassment at the compliment and turned away from me, though her eyes darted in my direction every now and then. Unfortunately, while I was pleased I was beginning to make a good impression on her, I also knew that her reaction was largely due to her unfamiliarity with being praised for anything among the Einzbern, a thought I forcefully put aside for later – when I had a few of the guilty Einzbern to tear apart, for instance.

Berserker soon died again and again. One more life was lost to Karna's spear, two to his **Brahmastra** and three to his **Brahmastra Kundala** which tore the landscape apart, making me really glad I had the forethought to bring us into an ID.

" _Really, Zelretch should have added some Mirror Worlds to the Grail System for the battles to take place in. That way, not only would there be no danger of exposing Magecraft but it would also minimize the casualties among the bystanders."_ I thought in annoyance.

Another life was lost to Tamamo's overly powerful ice and fire spells, though she tended to stand back and support Saber and Lancer by shielding them from Berserker's more dangerous attacks with her mirror.

Once the ground around them was filled with burning craters from Karna's Noble Phantasms – and I was already thinking of ways to replicate his **Brahmastra** since shooting a beam like that for your eye was just too handy – Saber decided not to let herself outdone and began bringing out her own Noble Phantasms.

Her **Laus Saint Claudius** was first but seemed insufficient to take even just one of Heracles' lives, so she continued on with her **Fax Caelestis** which claimed three lives between the pillar of fire it engulfed Berserker in and the damage her previous attack her left on him which did not have time to regenerate.

"Ouch!" Illya exclaimed in pain as she immediately reached for the back of her neck. "What did you do?" she demanded in both anger and fear, the sight of her dear protector being killed 11 times right before her eyes in quick succession having left her more than just a little unnerved.

"I severed your connection to the Greater Grail. There's no way I'm letting you play the role of the Lesser Grail and get killed just because the Einzbern said so." I scowled before I returned my attention to the battle even as I stored away in my Inventory the Medea Caster Class Card after dismissing the **Rule Breaker** within and pulled out another Class Card and an unused Lesser Grail, the later being placed in my pocket since I needed both hands free for what I was about to do. "Okay, that's enough! Everyone Astralize and back off!"

I waited for them to do so, including Lancer who had waited for Sakura's confirmation, before hurrying towards the downed and nearly regenerated Berserker.

" _ **Install."**_ I uttered and suddenly, instead of the Saber Class Card, I held **Excalibur**. The blade began to shine golden as I pumped a huge amount of prana into it even as I tapped into my real speed and appeared within a nearly fully regenerated Heracles' guard before swinging the most powerful Holy Sword. **"Excalibur."** I whispered as a beam of golden light cleaved through both of Berserker's arms which had been raised to block and through his chest, taking his last life and causing him to disperse into motes of prana that were collected into the Lesser Grail in my pocket. It had not been the full power of the sword I held, but it would have still taken two lives should he have had more than one left. _**"Uninstall."**_ I dismissed the sword and stored the Class Card and the now golden glowing crystal back into my Inventory.

 **You have killed Servant Berserker, the Son of Zeus, Heracles! +50.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

"So that's it." Illya said bitterly. "That's why papa abandoned me for you. It's because you're stronger."

"Don't be ridiculous." I told her as I hurried to her side and took her by surprise by pulling her into a hug. "The reason we did not grow up together is because the Einzbern locked Kiritsugu out of the Bounded Fields around the castle and, since his circuits were badly damaged during the Grail War, he could not break in like he used to be able to."

"…Kiritsugu… destroyed the Grail." Illya muttered into his chest, almost refusing to hope believe what he was saying.

"Because the Einzbern broke the System when the meddled with it for the Third War to summon Avenger. If Kiritsugu had not destroyed that corrupted Grail, neither of us would be alive today." I revealed to her. "I'll fill you in on the details later. But, just so you know, Kiritsugu kept trying to take you back from the Einzbern several times per year until he died, but they never allowed him to so much as see you. That was his punishment for defying them, you see, keeping you from him.

"…Oh." Illya whispered and I could feel my shirt becoming wet from her tears.

"Let's go home." I suggested as I picked her up and carried her over to where Sakura was waiting and watching us with a smile. "This is my girlfriend, Matou Sakura. She is also Lancer's Master and my ally in this Grail War. Sakura, this is my little sister Illya."

"Pleased to met you, Illya-chan." Sakura smiled with a hint of amusement at how I was ignoring the way Illya had ordered her Berserker to kill us.

"You too." Illya turned her head to look at the plum-haired girl and noticed who she was carrying. "Is that the Tohsaka Master?"

"Former Master. Shirou killed her Archer with his bare hands." Sakura smiled. "She is also my estranged older sister who, unlike Shirou did with you, she did abandon me to be experimented on by the Matou until Shirou saved me." She sent a look of adoration my way.

"If we were to be technical, one could say I abandoned Illya as well given that I could have taken her from the Einzbern, even if that would have ended badly for her." I pointed out, deciding that blunt honesty was the way to go after all the lies Illya had been fed.

"What do you mean?" Illya frowned.

"While you are just half-Homunculus, the Einzbern have modified you enough to integrate all the safeties they put in all their Homunculi. Such as a self-destruct. And I have little doubt in how Old Acht would have reacted out of spite, should I have broken in and taken you from their grasp when it became possible for me a year or two ago." I explained grimly. "Thankfully, I've managed to learn quite a bit about Homunculi and healing in the past couple years, so I should be able to removed their hold over you as well as fix damage they did to your body."

"R-Really?" Illya whispered in shock.

"I will not let my cute little sister die. This, I promise." I told her.

"…Technically, I'm older." Illya admitted.

"Well, I have amnesia from the Great Fuyuki Fire so I don't actually remember my date of birth, so I can't say I agree with you for certain." I shot back. _"That, and without the_ _ **Philosopher Stone**_ _retarding my aging process, I'm probably almost a decade older than I look."_ I sweatdropped. I had actually been using the **Death Resistive Body** skill to reshape my body into an older form when I felt the need to keep up appearances and then removed the **Philosopher Stone** implanted in me for a while, until my aging caught up with the appearance I had taken while I spent time as usual in the Time Warping IDs, at which point I would put the Philosopher stone back in.

Sakura actually aged naturally via simply removing her **Stone** every other real day for 24 hours while within the Time Warping IDs. But, then again, she did not spend so much time in such IDs to lose track of time like I did when I was set on experimenting with something or grinding a particular skill.

While the three Masters, current and former, were chatting among themselves and getting acquainted, the three Servants were left to their own thoughts as they trailed behind them, not even bothering to scout ahead given that they were in an entirely different dimension and its only occupants at that.

" _My Masters is powerful indeed. Even after a battle like that where I had twice used my Noble Phantasms and kept using a prana-extensive skill like_ _ **Mana Burst (Flames)**_ _, the stream of prana from her has not lessened at all. I could go as far as say she barely felt the drain."_ Karna thought as he eyed his summoner. _"But, the same can be said for her consort."_ the pale-skinned man's green eyes moved towards the auburn-haired allied Master. _"More so, as he has to support two Servants and neither has made any effort to hold back. Not to mention, within this space he has not aid from the Grail System in supporting his Servants, just as Master Sakura with me."_

" _Mou, I let Lancer upstage me!"_ Nero was pouting. _"I mean, sure, his Noble Phantasms are ranked higher than mine and thus could inflict more damage, and his armor let him shrug off blows from Berserker I had to take care to either dodge, deflect or block, but still!"_ the blonde frowned. _"I can't let that happen again! It would shame my Praetor, who had provided me with all the prana I could possible need!"_ she decided. _"Umu, next time, I will shine brighter than before and show them who the true star of this show is!"_

" _Mou, just what is Goshujin-sama?"_ Tamamo wondered. _"Both before against those dragons and now against Berserker, I could feel it clearly within the magnificent depths of his reserves. Divinity, something that should not exist in this age or at least not out in the world. I know from the Grail that there are a few fallen Gods still hiding somewhere in the world… but Goshujin-sama is no God."_ She frowned. _"He feels closer to a nature spirit at his core than a human, but Divinity seems to merely be part of him rather than something that defines him. A Demigod, perhaps? But, whose? With his power, it must be someone very strong even in this day and age, and he can not be removed from his divine parent by even a generation. So, who is his father… or mother…?"_ she tripped over her own two feet as an idea passed through her mind, causing it to screech to a halt. _"Wait, wait, wait! Could it be?!"_ she stared at her Master's back _"He's Japanese despite his hair and eye color… with eyes the same as my own… and hair only a few shades darker…!"_ the fox-girl thought with ever-widening eyes. _"Could it be that… Goshujin-sama is… my brother?"_ Tamamo wondered before a perverted smile appeared on her lips. _"Kinky!"_

The group soon arrived at the Emiya residence and left the ID within the safety and privacy of its Bounded Fields. The two Magi residents might not have wanted to put up any showy or violent protections around their home due to living surrounded only by neighbors ignorant of the supernatural – though Shirou had suspicious about old Fujimura Raiga being a lot more perceptive in such matters that he would ever outright say, the man having lived through not one but two Grail Wars taking place in his city – however that did not mean they could not put up some very powerful Bounded Fields that not only prevented any an all prana from being detected from the outside, but also prevented any and all potential surveillance from the outside of what lay behind the walls, be it magical or technological methods.

Not to mention upgrading the Ill-Intent Detection Bounded Field to do more than just alert the residents of intruders, such as using some spells Shirou had found within the Emiya Magic Crest and modified, making it so those past a certain level of power that triggered that Bounded Field were caught up in a Slow-Motion Field, slowing them down from a temporal standpoint to allow the residents time to react, be it retaliate or flee.

The last defense Shirou had set in place shifted both residents and attackers into an Empty ID where battle of any kind could take place without damaging the real world… and where he had a few **very** violent surprises in place for those who made him resort to that.

"Ne, how do you do that, Onii-chan?" Illya asked as he finally put her down. "I can tell you are shifting dimensions, but it's not an application of the **Kaleidoscope**." She pointed out.

"How do you… right, Justeaze's memories." I remembered. "Well, it's a special ability of mine. If you're a good girl, I might just teach you at some point." I gave her a teasing grin as I led her inside. "For the time being, let's make sure you live that long, hm?" I suggested as I sat down at the table and gestured for her to sit down next to me.

"Right…" Illya grimaced, not liking the reminder of her upcoming expiration date within a year.

"Now, I just need you to stand still." I advised as I activated my **Akashic Sight** and began both going through her profile and taking in her far too numerous Lines of Death as well at the all too prominent Point of Death located in her heart.

It took me a good twenty minutes to find all the safeties the Einzbern had put into her system to insure she would not defy them like her father before her… or, at the very least, not live through such an act. I was disgusted to discover that nearly half of the operations Illya had gone through were for such modifications rather than improve her ability as both a Master and a Lesser Grail for the 5th Heaven's Feel Ritual.

" _The Einzbern will die in agony."_ I decided then and there. _"Or at least that fucking golem they have as a Family Head."_

In the end, after another half-hour of double-checking to ensure I did not miss anything, I finally began removing the hold the Einzbern had over Illya. It mostly involved severing the Lines of Death of the implanted safety precautions at a conceptual level followed by using **Utopia Cure** to heal the tiny portions of damage that were transferred over to Illya on a physical level due to the parts implanted into her being ceasing to be.

Eventually, only the Lesser Grail remained and I had no intention of destroying or extracting it. Rather, I used my **Heaven's Feel** skill along with my currently B ranked **Connection to the Root** to end the Lesser Grail's function as a container of killed Servants and merge it with Illya's body as a whole, rather than just her heart, permanently increasing her Prana capacity by a significant margin as well as boosting her **Wishcraft** Sorcery Trait – which I promptly decided to copy over later for myself – to levels likely unheard of in the Einzbern Family ever since they had lost their True Magic well over a millennium past.

Lastly, all that was left to fix was her horribly mutilated lifespan, though just the removal of the various self-destructs the Einzbern had put in her had given her back a handful of years already – well, that and the several times I used **Utopia Cure** on her. To do this right, though, I decided to use not one but two extremely powerful healing methods at my disposal.

As such, I pulled not just a **Philosopher Stone** from my Inventory, but a certain Caster Class Card as well and spent a good quarter hour explaining to Illya how to use the Card, making sure she understood.

"Okay… I think I'm ready." Illya nodded as she eyed the Card in her hand. "But I still don't understand why…"

"You will soon enough." I gave her a sad smile. "Just go ahead."

"Alright." Illya shrugged before surging her prana through the Caster Class Card. _**"Install!"**_ she exclaimed and was engulfed in a bright light as her attire changed to that of the **Dress of Heaven**. "T-This… this is…!" Illya whispered in shock as her eyes watered while the memories of the Irisviel von Einzbern, not her mother but a parallel version of her, became accessible to her. "I understand now. Thank you, Onii-chan. I can't tell you just how much this means to me." Illya sniffed.

"You don't have to." I smiled before holding up the **Philosopher Stone** in my hand. "Bring out the **Grail** , please but wait a bit before using it." I instructed.

"Okay." Illya nodded and reached to her chest to grab the golden cup that phased out of her body.

I promptly placed the **Philosopher Stone** in it and transmuted it into the **Elixir of Life** , which lowed even more than it normally did.

"Go ahead and use it now, but rather than spilling it on yourself drink from it. It's your insides that need the healing, after all." I instructed.

"Right." Illya agreed **"Release! Heaven's Feel! Sing Out, O' White Grail! Song of Grail!"** she called out and then tipped the cup towers her as it glowed blindingly held in her hands above her head, letting the now super-charged **Elixir of Life** to pour into her waiting mouth before gulping greedily the golden liquid.

The effects became apparent immediately, a pallor of unhealth that one would have ignored due to her already pale skin fading away for a healthy skin-tone, still pale but not deathly so as it was approaching before. Furthermore, her body began to grow and fill out, the secondary sexual characteristics that she had never developed finally making their appearance on her body. Still…

"Why do I still look so young?" Illya demanded in disappointment.

"She looks around twelve to thirteen years old." Sakura agreed from where she was watching from the sidelines with the three now materialized Servants.

"Well, there is little we can do about that." I shrugged. "I mean, that missing body-mass won't just come out of nowhere, Noble Phantasm or not. And, if it did, it would likely be temporary and depended on the Noble Phantasm."

"I see." Illya frowned.

"Look at it this way, Illya-chan." I patted her head with a smile. "This way, you get to actually grow up and have a childhood like you should have, rather that suddenly find yourself and adult and not know how to deal with it."

"You have a point." The albino admitted. Everyone she knew had treated her like the child she appeared to be, even those who knew her actual age such as the Einzbern. She did not know how to suddenly adapt to being an adult, and the memories of her predecessors were not actually helpful since they woke up fully grown rather than switching from one mentality to another. "At least this time I'll be with Onii-chan." Illya smiled.

"You can count on it." I assured her. "Now, it's getting late so why don't I show you to your room so you can get some sleep."

"Actually, I only woke up about four hours ago." Illya admitted before uttering _**"Uninstall."**_ to dismiss the transformation, just as he had explained to her, before hesitantly handing the Caster Class Card.

"I'll let you use it again in the future, even just to experiment with it." I told her as I stored the Class Card back into my Inventory. "Well, if you're not tired, you can join us in our Workshop."

"Are you going to cut Tohsaka open and strangle her with her own intestines?" Illya tilted her head cutely.

"…No." I replied after a pause, forcefully reminded that as adorably cute Illya looked, she was a sociopath like most Magi and, worse, she lacked the social filters due to her isolated upbringing. "I'm just going to remove her Magic Crest, copy it and give it to Sakura since she was born a Tohsaka and thus can use it." I explained.

" **You can copy Magic Crests?!"** Illya's eyes bulged.

"I've learnt quite a bit of the **Heaven's Feel** even since I started using Irisviel-san's Class Card and that took it even further. Combined with other skills of mine, it can be done." I assured her. It was not surprising that she was so shocked, it was unheard of to duplicate a Magic Crest, not that many would be willing to cheapen them given the decay of Magecraft depending on how many knew the same mysteries. "Speaking of Magic Crests, I've managed to fix the damage done to Kiritsugu's during the Grail Was as well as replicated the missing portions. It's yours by right."

"R-Really?" Illya whispered.

"Yep, and I'll teach you a method to gain it without risk of rejection as well." I grinned. "Just press **Accept** when it appears before you." I instructed even as I invited Illya to join my Party.

"T-This?" Illya was startled by the window appearing in mid-air right before her eyes.

"Yep." I nodded and smiled when she joined my party. I promptly used **Observe** on her.

 **Name: Illyasviel von Einzbern**

 **Class: Justeaze Model Homunculus**

 **Title:** **Einzbern's White Holy Grail**

 **Age: 18**

 **Level: 50 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 850/ 850**

 **MP: 45.378.900/ 45.378.900**

 **HPR: 2,5% per min**

 **MPR: 33,8% per min**

 **STR: 12**

 **VIT: 25**

 **DEX: 10**

 **INT: 540**

 **WIS: 138**

 **LUCK: 21**

" _Pretty damn impressive. She has, like, ten times more MP than I did at her level. Then again, I only had 27 Magic Circuits back then. Illya, though? She has 343 A rank circuits, plus a 35% MP boost from having assimilated the Lesser Grail. Not to mention the Gamer stat threshold boosts in INT and WIS."_ I grinned. "How do you feel?"

"I feel… amazing, actually." Illya admitted. "What is this?"

"It's a reality-warping ability I gained around five years ago." I revealed. "You see…" I quickly gave her a summary of my recent years, leaving out quite a bit but giving her the bare necessities. I had no worry that she would get too upset, I had unsealed my full **Charisma** skill just to deal with her without problems and at A+ rank, it was broken.

"Shirou, you should add our Servants to the Party now. At least Lancer was seen fighting Archer, so whoever was watching has an idea how strong he is." Sakura suggested.

"Good point. No need to put it off any longer." I readily agreed and sent the invites. "Just press **Accept**." I instructed and, once they did so, I checked their stats.

 **Name: Karna**

 **Class: Lancer**

 **Title: Hero of Charity, Son of the Sun God**

 **Level: 300 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 627.228/ 627.228**

 **MP: 70.000.000/ 70.000.000**

 **HPR: 871% per min**

 **MPR: 275,5% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 8.610**

 **DEX: 8.610**

 **INT: 1.750**

 **WIS: 2.555**

 **LUCK: 8.640**

 **Name: Tamamo no Mae**

 **Class: Caster**

 **Title: Nine Tailed Fox, Avatar of Amaterasu**

 **Level: 300 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 234.315/ 234.315**

 **MP: 210.000.000/ 210.000.000**

 **HPR: 192,5% per min**

 **MPR: 1742% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 1.825**

 **DEX: 2.555**

 **INT: 16.800**

 **WIS: 17.220**

 **LUCK: 8.610**

 **Name: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus**

 **Class: Saber**

 **Title: Emperor of Roses, Beast of Babylon**

 **Level: 300 Next Level: 0%**

 **HP: 213.750/ 213.750**

 **MP: 140.000.000/ 140.000.000**

 **HPR: 192,5% per min**

 **MPR: 275,5% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 1.825**

 **DEX: 8.610**

 **INT: 1.750**

 **WIS: 2.555**

 **LUCK: 8.610**

"Goshujin-sama… all our stats, with the exception of our Mana, have _at least_ doubled." Tamamo exclaimed in shock.

"Truly, our Praetor is most glorious!" Nero all but cackled in glee at the power boost.

"…Impressive."

" _Hm, it's actually better that their HP and MP remained the same, dependent on their Servant Containers. They would have decreased."_ I remarked inwardly with a smirk. _"Heh, let's see how Gilgamesh handles this!"_


	11. Chapter 11

Watching my Servants and Sakura's Lancer clear the Dragon ID trice in a row and leveling up in the process, I learnt a few important and somewhat frustrating things.

For starters, due to the static nature of most Heroic Spirits in that were unable to change on their own once they were recorded in the Throne of Heroes and only they way humanity saw them could, Servants could not grind stat points. No matter how fast they ran, how hard they hit, hot much physical effort they put into something, their stats would never change from it. They could not improve via regular training.

On the other hand, the XP they gained from killing Dragon after Dragon did allow the to level up and thus gain the regular 5 stat points that they could allocate in either STR, VIT, DEX, INT, WIS or LUCK as they pleased. So, they could improve, but only by adding something on top of their Servant Containers.

" _My Gamer ability and the stat threshold bonuses they are benefiting from are the same. It would not be wrong to say it's like an over-abundance of prana from a Master to a Servant, pushing their parameters higher but still within the limits of the Heroic Spirit itself and the quality of the Servant Container."_ I theorized as I watched Nero bathing in Fafnir's blood, just as Illya had in the previous batch.

And boy, had the little albino been embarrassed!

There was, however, some more good news concerning ways for the Servants to increase in power. Specifically, their HP and MP increased with their level, independent of their other stats.

" _It's just like in that Grand Order game."_ I concluded. _"And the allocable stat points are like using Status Up Cards, just for more than just ATK and HP."_

"Nee, Onii-chan?" Illya called out, drawing my attention to her.

"Yes, Illya-chan?" I inquired, noticing the embarrassed and slightly jealous look in her eyes as I showed no shame in ogling Nero, while I clearly looked away when she had done the same thing. _"She may be technically legal and not blood-related to me, but she still looks like just entering her teen years, for god's sake!"_

"I think it's morning." She pointed at a window that she had summoned before her.

"Hm?" I summoned my own status window which very helpfully showed the time in the real world. "You're right. I suppose we'll head back and have breakfast after Nero is done. No rushing her, though. We don't want her messing up and ending up with a weak spot like Siegfried." I said firmly.

"You just want to perve on her longer." Illya huffed.

"Don't be ridiculous." I snorted. "With the way she dressed, you can say she's more covered now with the dragon blood."

"…Fair point." Illya sweatdropped.

" _Besides, with how forward she and Tamamo have been with me since the very beginning, a simple invitation would be enough to get them into my bed. But, I'll leave that matter in Sakura's very capable and possessive hands."_ I suppressed a small shudder as I remembered how Sakura had dealt with the last girl that had been 'infringing on her territory'. It had _not_ been pretty.

Shaking my head, I looked into my inventory and sweatdropped at the sheer amount of dragon parts I had stored there, dragon blood included. The only reason I was having the girls bath in fresh blood was to properly follow the legend in order to achieve the maximum effects.

" _Well, with three level 300+ Servants, I guess it would be okay now to move on to the next Dungeon while bringing people with me."_ I concluded. I had refused to take Sakura with me in the next, higher level Dungeon for two reasons.

One, the Corruption Dungeon was full of creepy demons, **Lahmu** and **Bel Lahmu** , with **Kingu** as the Boss, which were guaranteed to remind Sakura of her unpleasant time in the 'care' of Matou Zouken. This would likely distract her and possibly send her into a traumatic flashback at the wrong time, meaning I would have to keep an eye on her at all times, essentially babysit her.

And two, the levels of the monsters within the Corruption Dungeon ranged between 301 and 350 with **Kingu** at 355, making them veritable threats by any standards and thus not something I could afford to give anything but my full attention – thus, not being able to watch over Sakura.

There was also the added benefit of being able to bring Illya along as well despite the dramatic level difference simply via implanting a **Traced Avalon** in her and letting her use the Artoria Pendragon Saber Class Card. Between the stat boost she would get from the card, the broken regenerative powers of the sheath and the effectiveness of the strongest Holy Sword against demons, she should be more than alright. **Excalibur** certainly had the ability of making all of one's problems disappear… usually preceded by a beam of all-consuming golden light.

" _And I guess that this way they'll level up faster rather than just 1 level after clearing three dungeons… or four, if the one before they joined my Party counted."_ I mused as I glanced at the Servants' stats.

 **Name: Karna**

 **Class: Lancer**

 **Title: Hero of Charity, Son of the Sun God**

 **Level: 301 Next Level: 20,3%**

 **HP: 633.196,4/ 633.196,4**

 **MP: 70.000.000/ 70.000.000**

 **HPR: 871% per min**

 **MPR: 275,5% per min**

 **STR: 2.573,25**

 **VIT: 8.610**

 **DEX: 8.610**

 **INT: 1.750**

 **WIS: 2.555**

 **LUCK: 8.640**

 **Name: Tamamo no Mae**

 **Class: Caster**

 **Title: Nine Tailed Fox, Avatar of Amaterasu**

 **Level: 301 Next Level: 0,9%**

 **HP: 236.858/ 236.858**

 **MP: 210.000.000/ 210.000.000**

 **HPR: 194,325% per min**

 **MPR: 1742% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 1.843,25**

 **DEX: 2.555**

 **INT: 16.800**

 **WIS: 17.220**

 **LUCK: 8.610**

 **Name: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus**

 **Class: Saber**

 **Title: Emperor of Roses, Beast of Babylon**

 **Level: 301 Next Level: 4%**

 **HP: 215.622,75/ 215.622,75**

 **MP: 140.000.000/ 140.000.000**

 **HPR: 194,325% per min**

 **MPR: 275,5% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 1.843,25**

 **DEX: 8.610**

 **INT: 1.750**

 **WIS: 2.555**

 **LUCK: 8.610**

" _Karna increased his STR and both Nero and Tamamo increased their VIT. It may not boost their HP right now, but it does increase their HP Regeneration."_ I mused. _"Not bad choices."_ I concluded before turning my attention towards Sakura and Illya who had also benefited due to being in a party with those three, despite not doing much fighting themselves.

 **Name: Matou Sakura**

 **Class: The Hollow Shadow**

 **Title: Shadow Princess**

 **Age: 16**

 **Level: 119 Next Level: 23%**

 **HP: 198.350/ 198.350**

 **MP: /**

 **HPR: 801% per min**

 **MPR: 798,21% per min**

 **STR: 3540,4**

 **VIT: 7910**

 **DEX: 3455,6**

 **INT: 7340**

 **WIS: 7282,1**

 **LUCK: 3627,85**

 **Elemental Affinity: Hollow (Imaginary Numbers), Water**

 **Origin: Hollow**

 **Name: Illyasviel von Einzbern**

 **Class: Justeaze Model Homunculus**

 **Title:** **Einzbern's White Holy Grail**

 **Age: 18**

 **Level: 65 Next Level: 10%**

 **HP: 1225/ 1225**

 **MP: 86.383.500/ 86.383.500**

 **HPR: 4,5% per min**

 **MPR: 83,8% per min**

 **STR: 18**

 **VIT: 45**

 **DEX: 30**

 **INT: 600**

 **WIS: 138**

 **LUCK: 30**

" _Sakura's stats did not go up too much from just 7 levels. She got a bigger boost from the copy of the Tohsaka crest I gave her."_ I concluded. _"Illya, on the other hand… well, I might not have given her a_ _ **Philosopher Stone**_ _yet – don't want her getting ideas about transmuting he body to look closer to her real age; she hasn't had a real childhood so I'm going to make sure she will this time – but she did get a decent boost from the Emiya Crest, not to mention the C-rank_ _ **Heaven's Feel**_ _I taught her – it's only right, given that I myself leant it from a version of her mother. Her MP, at least, nearly doubled."_ I concluded.

 _Lunchtime_

" _Are you certain this is a wise approach, Praetor?"_ Nero asked feeling a bit uncomfortable in simply walking up the stairs towards the lair of Assassin, Ryuudou Temple. Sure, she liked direct approaches over complicated schemes and treachery, but simply walking into the enemy's base and potential trap seemed rather foolhardy to her.

" _Certain? No."_ I admitted. _"But, if things are as I expect them to be – and given what I have uncovered of Assassin's original Master, they are – then I have a good idea on who Assassin is and the quality of her guard-dog. So, I don't have much to worry about. Just stay Astralized. If you get hit by Assassin's Noble Phantasm, it would be a lot more troublesome than me losing a limb or two, trust me on this."_

" _And just how likely is it that you'll lose a limb, Goshujin-sama?!"_ Tamamo demanded.

" _Given the level of my_ _ **Magic Resistance**_ _and the fact that we're dealing with a Assassin that should have been a Caster… less than 1% chance. And that before we take my other skills into account."_ I assured her before cutting the mental chatter as we nearly reached the top of the stairs… and a Servant materialized before the Temple Gate.

He was a handsome blond man with green eyes the same color as Nero's. He was dressed in rich clothing with several golden-colored articles and some actually made out of gold such as his rings and armlets as well as the handle of the short sword sheathed at his waist.

His eyes shone with arrogance, irritation… and recently humiliation.

" _I know who this guy is!"_ I realized with a hint of amusement. _"Well, at least now I know what Catalyst Atrum Galliasta used to summon Medea. She must have reused it to summon this guy. Though, I'm certain she was not aiming to summon him of all people using a fragment of the Argo."_

"Halt! I…" the Servant, Rider by process of elimination, began arrogantly.

"My, my, how the mighty have fallen. From king to door-boy… oh, who am I kidding, you're Medea's bitch now, Jason." I grinned widely.

"…So, you know who I am. And who Assassin is." Jason scowled.

"Yes." I confirmed as I faded from his line of sight as I used my impressive speed to all but teleport behind him, drawing his sword in the process and giving it a good look to record it in Unlimited Blade Works should I have need of it at some point – _"Unlikely, this thing is just a sword, not a Noble Phantasm"_ I easily concluded – before stabbing into the back of his skull all the way to make the blade exit via his right eye, killing him all but instantly.

I then calmly continued on my way even as Rider's power was collected by one of the two Lesser Grails I had in the pockets of my jacket, just in case. Using **Tracing** , it was quite easy to detect all the traps Assassin had set up and **Ring of Solomon** disabled them all, essentially eroding a path as I entered the Temple Assassin had created with her **Territory Creation** skill. Clearly, she has the **Double Summon** skill, making her both an Assassin and a Caster.

"Show yourself, Medea. I know where you are and I prefer not to bring down the whole Temple just to have a conversation with you." I called out loud.

A few seconds later, what appeared to be Assassin materialized in midair a few meters away from me.

"An illusion, eh?" I arched an eyebrow. "Very well, it will suffice for this."

"What do you want, Master of Saber?" Assassin demanded coldly.

In response, I reached into my Inventory, ignored her tensing, and pulled out a **Philosopher Stone** charged with a tenth of my full MP capacity before throwing it at the feet of her illusionary form.

"…What is this?" Assassin asked slowly.

"Bribe. Specifically, a **Philosopher Stone** with enough power stored within to incarnate you several times over, not just once. Take it, make yourself a body and get out of Fuyuki before nightfall. That way, you won't get caught up in the mess is bound to occur when I destroy the Grail." I told her flatly.

"Destroy the Grail?" Assassin exclaimed in shock. "Why would you…?"

"Because it's corrupted." I replied. "Before the Third Grail War, one of the Founding Families, the Einzbern, used a backdoor they left for themselves and tried to cheat the System by summoning a Divine Spirit. I doubt I need to explain to you of all people how bad of an idea it is to tangle with Deities." I deadpanned. "Especially when the one they tried to summon is Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian God of Evil. They managed to summon the human prototype of the God as the irregular Servant Avenger, and when he died he became a full deity within the Grail, tainting it and corrupting whatever wish made to result in destruction. A decade ago, Angra Mainyu was almost born into the world to wipe out humanity, if not for my father ordering his Servant, a Saber King Arthur, to destroy the Lesser Grail. Even so, some of the curses within spilled out, causing the Great Fuyuki Fire. I plan on insuring there is no second time." I told her with finality.

"…I see." Medea turned her attention to the **Philosopher Stone**. "From what I can sense from this, you don't even need a Holy Grail to grant whatever wish you may have."

"True enough." I shrugged. Even without the **Wishcraft** I recently copied from Illya, with as much power I possessed, more than a dozen Counter Guardians combined, I could just throw my power around to bend the world to make my will reality. I just saw no reason to poke Gaia like that after the numerous irritations I had already given here. Alaya as well, for that matter.

"Why are you helping me, though?" Medea asked. "You could kill me easily enough, I realize this."

"Why didn't you kill all the girls your former Master had kidnapped in order to gain prana and instead came here at the risk of fading before you could tap into the Ley Lines?" I shot back.

"…" Medea's illusion merely stared back from under her cowl.

"As far as I'm concerned, you've proven you deserve a second chance at life, Princess of Colchis." I turned and began to walk away before pausing. "Oh, when you drag Kuzuki-sensei shopping, you might want to hit Akihabara. They have a lot of things for your Cosplay fetish." I told her over my shoulder with a teasing grin before leaving, ignoring her red-faced splutters of denial.

" _That was entertaining."_ Tamamo giggled. _"You could have recruited her, she would be fun to tease."_

" _Nah, she's already got a love interest and made plans for her life with him. They have a good thing going on, no sense to ruin it for them."_ I smiled slightly even as I finally moved the filled Lesser Grail from my pocket into my Inventory.

" _With this, only Gilgamesh remains."_ Nero remarked.

" _Don't forget Kotomine Kirei. Even without a Servant backing him up, he's a pain in the ass."_ I warned. _"Not to mention his curse-made heart."_

 _That evening – near Kotomine Church_

" _Showtime."_ I telepathically told all my Party Members, including Illya whom I had made stay back at my house and keep an eye on Tohsaka, much to the albino's displeasure and protests.

"So, you've come." Gilgamesh remarked as he stepped out of the Church, already clad in his golden armor. "Just as I expected you would. Still, I have to admit that I had not foreseen whatever you did to the Lesser Grail and the power of the fallen Servants. It's enough to throw Kirei's planning on its head, most entertaining." He chuckled.

"Unfortunately, from here on things will get a bit predictable. Me and my allies trying to kill you, with the fate of the world on the line." I shrugged. "I'm sure you can sympathize with our desire to remove an entity of Divine origin capable of wiping out humanity at a whim."

"I do… though, just for comparing me with those wretched Gods, I will not offer you the painless death I had in mind." Gilgamesh glared.

"Oh, that hurts. Right here." I mockingly grasped at my heart. **"ID Create: Empty."** I uttered under my breath and suddenly we were all drawn into the Illusion barrier, Kotomine who was still hiding inside the Church included.

"How, a Reality Marble of sorts?" Gilgamesh looked around with disinterest.

"Oh, this is not a Reality Marble." I assured him even as my and Sakura's Servants materialized around the two of us. **"Unlimited Blade Works."** I declared and in an explosion of heatless flames the landscape changed entirely into an endless field full of weapons, mostly sword stabbed into the ground under the Moonless sky above. "This, on the other hand, is a Reality Marble."

"You… Faker!" Gilgamesh spat in disgust as he glanced around, recognizing a few of his own treasures in his vicinity.

"Oh, you misunderstand, King of Heroes. These are not copies. Rather, they are merely recordings of the originals. Mere data that lack a vessel." I corrected. After all, it was what I created with **Projection** or **Tracing** that was a fake. These, in my Reality Marble, were identical to the read deal. "But on the other hand, speaking of fakes…" I tilted my head thoughtfully "Given that Servants are copies of their real selves within the Throne of Heroes, wouldn't that make _you_ a **fake**?" I asked innocently.

Gilgamesh stared a me wide-eyed for a few moments, in disbelief at my sheer _audacity_ , before snarling more hatefully than I had _ever_ seen him, either in person or in some manga or anime, and opening a literal sky of golden portals that began spiting out swords, spears and various other dangerous weapons right at me.

" **You filthy mongrel! DIE!"** the King of Heroes screamed in anger.

Even as I greedily ate up the new blueprints offered to me, copies of those weapons and more shot from all around us and either deflected those coming from the **Gate of Babylon** or outright destroyed them if they were fragile enough.

"What?" Gilgamesh whispered in shock.

"Go!" I ordered the three Servants, echoed by Sakura, and Karna, Nero and Tamamo dashed at the Golden King at speeds that took him by surprise. After all, while Gilgamesh had a C rank Agility, even the slowest of my and Sakura's Servants, Tamamo, had the equivalent of nearly A+++ rank Agility thanks to the boost from my Gamer ability, while both Karna and Nero had more than three times that.

To Gilgamesh's credit, though, he did manage to materialize a few shields that lasted long enough form him to begin another wave of raining weapons, this time aimed at the more worthy threats in his eyes and from closer so I could not afford to block or deflect as many of the weapons as before, at least those not those in close-range to my and Sakura's Servants less they blew up in their faces.

We were making progress, clearly, as due to how empowered Saber, Lancer and Caster were, they were easily not just defending from the treasures thrown at them and swiftly recovering from whatever damage they incurred thanks to the plentiful prana supplies from me and Sakura as well as their own high HP Regeneration rates.

However, Sakura soon pointed out to me that while getting increasingly angry at so many of his treasures being destroyed, Gilgamesh did not seem to be running low on energy, even without the Grail giving him some support like with all Servants. And, given that Kotomine was not know for his large prana reserves, I could draw only one conclusion.

" _Those kids he's using as prana batteries for Gilgamesh were also pulled into the Illusion Barrier from within the real Church."_ I concluded grimly.

I had known from the very beginning about those poor kids. However, I had not attempted to save them for one simple reason: they were beyond saving. They had been reduced to mindless emaciated husks that were just barely kept alive to keep producing prana for the King of Heroes to draw on in order to freely use his Noble Phantasm. Death would be the only salvation they could hope for, and the only reason I had put it off was due to not wanting to draw attention to myself after already taking a risk to examine those poor kids in the Church's basement while Kotomine was away on an Apostle Hunt and Gilgamesh was touring the world.

" _Now, on the other hand, is a perfect time to put them to rest."_ I concluded as I materialized a handful of **Caladbolg** in the sky above the former location of the Church, Broke them and then rained them down onto the spot, blowing it up with enough force that the blast wave blew all the Servants and Sakura off their feet, only I remaining standing thanks to summoning a huge sword stabbed into the ground behind me to hold steady against.

The sudden drop in his prana supply most certainly drew Gilgamesh's attention back to me from the three Servants and, with a hateful glare that I had forced him to resort to this, began to draw out **Ea** from his treasury, intent on ending this humiliation…

…Only to find himself unable to move, bound in chains. **Very** familiar chains at that.

"You dare?" Gilgamesh whispered, his rage now well past apocalyptic.

"I have warned you from the beginning, Demigod." I uttered as I appeared before him in a burst of speed and, summoning into my hand a barbed red spear that dripped bloodlust, I thrust it towards the bound King of Uruk with a loud **"Gae Bolg!"**

Gilgamesh spat blood as the spear found itself impaled in his heart, the reversal of causality bypassing the impressive defense his golden armor offered. Still, dying as he was, he continued to glare at me.

"I hold not ill towards you, King of Heroes. Merely disappointment that you so readily dismissed humanity just as the Gods you hold in contempt did." I told him even as the life faded from his eyes, the power leaving his body and being drawn into the Lesser Grail I had placed in my pocket before we even approached the Church, filling it just like it had happened with three others before it.

 **You have killed Servant Archer Zero, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh! +100.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 411 Next Level: 86,5%**

 **HP: 758.753,75** **758.753,75**

 **MP: ,125/** **,125**

 **HPR: 3042,615% per min**

 **MPR: 3613,57% per min**

 **STR: 12.939,25**

 **VIT: 30.326,15**

 **DEX: 13.647,35**

 **INT: 33.984,9**

 **WIS: 33.935,7**

 **LUCK: 9504,6**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2050**

 **Money: ¥**

" _Hm, 3 levels from Heracles via 50.000.000XP yesterday and 6 from Gilgamesh via 100.000.000XP. Seems legit."_ I nodded in approval.

"It's over." Sakura remarked with a relieved smile. Only a few of Gilgamesh's treasures were sent her way, the Golden King not having deemed her worth bothering with, and they few that so much as pointed at her were immediately deflected or destroyed by me.

"Not just yet." Nero smiled wickedly. "Going somewhere, priest?" she called out.

A few awkward moment later, Kotomine came out from behind the debris caused by the Broken **Caladbolg**.

"I suppose congratulations are in order." Kotomine began only to be cut off… by Nero's red blade cutting his head off.

"Enemy of Christianity, indeed." I nodded sagely.

I then causally walked up to the corpse and grabbed the arm bearing the Command Spells unused from past Grail Wars before transplanting them to my own arms with a quick use of **Solomon's Ring**.

"Tamamo, destroy Kotomine's body please." I requested and within seconds the cursed corpse was removed from existence via divine flames.

"What about this one, Praetor?" Nero pointed at Gilgamesh' body which was still bound in the **Traced Chains of Heaven**.

"I'm going to keep it for experimentation." I decided after some hesitation. I had actually expected the body to fade away, given that while it was made flesh, it was still constructed using Angra Mainyu's materialized curses. But, since it was still there, I would keep it as spoils, so I promptly shoved it into my Inventory, the fact that it could be stored there assuring me more than anything that it was well and truly dead.

With a relieved sigh, I turned towards the crater that had been caused by the Broken **Caladbolg** and used **Tracing** before concluding that the poor kids used to power Gilgamesh had been vaporized by the explosion, so I dropped first my **Unlimited Blade Works** , then destroyed the ID we were in to return to the real world.

"Well, with this the Grail War is over." I concluded with a relived smile, happy that a threat to humanity had been averted. _"Now, all that's left is to dismantle the Greater Grail System…"_

"Not quite, Senpai." Sakura's voice was heard… yet it did not come from the mouth of my girlfriend.

Turning towards the source, my blood froze in my veins at the sight of the newcomer.

"Fuck me." I groaned.

"Mm, maybe later, if you're a good boy, Senpai." A new identical purple-haired girl winked at me teasingly.

"Ano, Sakura-san?" Tamamo asked unsurely. "I didn't know you have a twin sister."

"That's because I don't." Sakura said flatly, glaring at the doppelganger.

"Technically, she would be Matou Sakura's younger sister since she was born from data one Matou Sakura had hidden away to prevent deletion. But not my Sakura." I frowned. "Isn't that right, Moon Cancer BB?"

"Bravo, I knew you were special the moment I set my eyes on you, Senpai." BB clapped her hands as she praised me. "However, you got my Class wrong. There is no Moon Cell here, so I can't be a Moon Cancer, now can I?" she gave a bow as she introduced herself. "Servant Ruler, the Impartial Judge of the Holy Grail War, at your service. And, I repeat what I have said earlier. The Fifth Holy Grail War is not over." She smirked. "In fact, officially, it has yet to begin."


	12. Chapter 12

"…Come again?" I asked slowly.

"I didn't stutter." BB smiled pleasantly. "The Fifth Holy Grail War has not begun yet." She tilted her head in amusement. "Hm, would you understand better if I told you that the Great Grail War has yet to begin?"

"…fuck." My head dropped.

"Shirou?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Well done, Angra Mainyu, well done." I gave a slow clap. "I admit; I did **not** see this coming."

"What do you mean, Praetor?" Nero inquired with a touch of concern.

"There is a Reserve System in place for the Grail War." I began explaining. "You see, the First Grail War ended without anyone fighting at all, all the Masters having been working together and wasting their time arguing about how to go about things until prana reserves in the Grail System for supporting the Servants ran out and the opportunity passed."

"What does this have to do with this Great Grail War?" Karna frowned.

"To avoid such an event, that is, all the Masters working together and thus none of the Servants being killed to fuel the Grail, the Reserve System was put in place, allowing the selection of another set of 7 Masters and the summoning of 7 more Servants, to form another side in the Grail War to invoke conflict and thus kill Servants to fill the Grail." I continued.

"But, we've already killed Servants, Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo pointed out.

"And yet, their power was not captured into a Lesser Grail as far as the System detects. In addition, you three hold more power then 7 regular Servants in a Grail War, and your Masters, Sakura and I, are allied. In other words, from a point of view, it satisfies the conditions to activate the Reserve System. Especially when the will behind the Grail System, Angra Mainyu, wants for more Servants to be summoned and more battle to take place, hoping to cause death and destruction, and ultimately to complete to Grail and allow it to be born into the world." I got to the meat of the matter.

"So, we are going to be up against an alliance of 7 Masters and 7 Servants? Is it that it?" Nero tilted her head with a growing smile.

"Not quite." BB cut in before I could answer affirmatively.

"Oh?" I eyed the Ruler.

"Yes, due to the damages done by Angra Mainyu's presence, certain portions of the Grail System have eroded. This includes the forming of two factions. While Angra Mainyu may have intended for the 7 new Servants to band together and eliminate you, they are being summoned as individuals, both them and their Masters unaware of the change in the War." BB explained.

"And, I assume, you are to clue them in on the situation; that they should band together to take out mine and Sakura's Servants." I pursed my lips in a frown.

"In theory, yes. In practice… well, nobody tells me what to do. And certainly not some angry evil spirit with a grudge." BB scoffed. "I may not care much for humanity, but that does not mean I'll go out of my way to wipe them out without cause or benefit to myself."

"Something tells me you're not going to keep this information to yourself out of the goodness of your heart." I narrowed my eyes.

"Good instincts." BB smirked. "Yes, there _is_ something that I want in exchange for my discretion."

 _Next Morning – Emiya Household_

As I woke up and automatically dismissed the notice window informing me of the full recovery of my HP and MP, I took notice of not the usual one purple-haired female at my side, but four. All of them without a stitch of clothing under the sheets.

Unconsciously, a proud smile curved my lips. It was not every day one could brag about tiring out four women in bed, and certainly not three Servants and a girl stronger than the average Counter Guardian – at least as far as raw power went.

" _I have to admit, I was unsure how to react when BB demanded an orgy of Sakura's with myself via Tamamo using her_ _ **Shapeshift**_ _to into her and Nero copying the skill with_ _ **Imperial Privilege**_ _and doing the same. But I have to admit, the sight of 4 Sakura's pleasuring each-other for my viewing pleasure before asking me to join in was one the hottest things I've ever seen."_ I thought, already making plans on asking the girls for a repeat at some point in the future even after BB had left us. _"And not necessary 3 Sakura's. She can learn_ _ **Shapeshift**_ _as well, and both 3 Nero's and 3 Tamamo's sound hot. And, given how enthusiastic they were, I somehow doubt they'll refuse."_

"Mmm… Morning, Stud-senpai." BB yawned before giving me a playful look. "Enjoying the view?"

"Damn right." I promptly nodded.

"Good answer." BB grinned as she reached to grasp my morning wood and began stroking it to full hardness.

"So, what do you plan on doing now?" I asked her, ignoring her actions. "After you leave, I mean. I doubt you'll be sticking with us for the duration of the War."

"True. As tempting a repeat of last night may be, I am not one t shirk on my duty." BB confirmed. "I will act as the Overseer, making sure everyone obeys the rules and hiding the supernatural from regular humans."

"And how will your duty impact on me preventing the powers of the defeated Servants from converging in a single Lesser Grail?" I inquired.

"It won't. It's the Einzbern who are supposed to provide a Lesser Grail. If they fail to do so or if the one they brought in turns out to be unusable, that is hardly my problem, now is it?" BB smirked. "Don't you think so?"

"I think… you could be doing more productive things with your mouth right this moment." I concluded.

"Mmm." BB sounded as her head went to my crotch followed by her positively inhaling my manhood.

" _ **Self-Modification**_ _. Got to love how it lets her do this with such ease."_ I thought blissfully.

A few pleasurable minutes later, BB had 'gotten her morning milkshake' the way she put it, and we continued our conversation a bit more seriously.

"SO, any plans on what you're going to do? After the Grail War, assuming someone does not kill you for one reason or another." I asked.

"I don't plan on sticking around once my job is done." BB informed me. "This is not the Moon Cell. It's not my world and I don't like it. Also, it's not malleable like the Moon Cell so it's not like I can change it as per my desires."

"Do you mind if I collect your energy after you disperse, like I've been doing with all the fallen Servants?" I asked her. Sure, I could have avoided it and done so anyway. However, if there was one Servant who could leave a nasty surprise behind should I do something she didn't like, it's this one.

"Hm, what will you do with it?" BB tilted her head in consideration.

"Give it to Sakura to absorb in order to boost her powers. Given the compatibility she has with you – to a certain point, of course – she would likely be able of retaining some of your skills as well." I told her honestly.

"Hmm… fine, I'll allow it." BB decided. "I was born from a Matou Sakura. It's only fair I give something back as well." She concluded.

"Thank you." Sakura said, signaling that she was awake.

"You're welcome, beautiful." BB grinned before leaning in and beginning to kiss Sakura who responded enthusiastically.

" _You know… maybe narcissism is not that bad."_ I smiled as the situation devolved further as the other two awoke and joined in.

A couple hours later, BB left us after savoring one of my delicious breakfasts, allowing us to discus and plan in privacy.

"So, what do you all think?" I opened the meeting.

"I think I'm going to let my hair grow longer and get myself an outfit just like hers." Sakura stated firmly.

"…That's nice, but I meant about having to face off against 7 more Servants." I rolled my eyes.

"I do not see an issue. I believe we will not be at a disadvantage. You did say that the Grail System recognized the power of myself, Saber and Caster as being that of 7 Servants rather than three." Karna pointed out.

"Umu! Unless they manage to corner us one by one as a group, we will triumph once more." Nero agreed.

"On the other hand, any one of us should be able to take on two of them by ourselves, Goshujin-sama." Tamamo added.

"…Normally I would agree, but I don't think we're going to be that lucky." Sakura sighed.

"I'm with her." Illya added.

"What do you mean?" Karna raised an eyebrow.

"Generally, when the Grail selects Masters, they pick 3 from the Founding Families, 2 from the Mages Association and two others randomly from among the local Magi." I began. "However, this time, those slots ae already taken. The Grail does not need to satisfy the original conditions imposed by the Founding Families, nor those added later to satisfy the egos of the Mages Association a second time."

"This time, Angra Mainyu can choose whatever Masters it wants from all over the world. Likely strong ones to be able to take us out or those in line with it's plans so that if they discover what's happening, they won't care to stop." Sakura nodded.

"These new Masters will likely be chosen especially to be able to take out Onii-chan and Sakura." Illya confirmed.

"And it's quite possible Angra Mainyu may be able to influence the summonings as well if no Catalyst is provided, drawing forth specific Servants that may prove dangerous to us in some way. Perhaps those that have a distinct advantage against you three." I finished, looking at Saber, Lancer and Caster.

"…Should we attempt to call back Medea-san?" Sakura suggested half-heartedly.

"No." I shot that idea down immediately. "No only would it be rather rude to drag her back to fight in a War she no longer has any stake in, but given that she's an Assassin and now has a physical body and thus unable to Astralize…"

"She would be an easy target for most Servants." Sakura agreed with a sigh. "Didn't think so either."

"So… what's the worst-case scenario on potential enemy Masters?" Nero asked.

"If they don't use a Catalyst, we might be able to make some educated guesses on who they may summon." Tamamo nodded in agreement.

"The worst-case scenario?" Illya grimaced. "The top ranking among the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors."

"Not all of them." I shook my head. "I killed off the consciousness of Crimson Moon Brunestud and turned Arcueid Brunestud into the new Type-Moon, so the #3 is out. #2, the Dark Six, is still regenerating and will continue to be for another thousand years or so on its own. And I, Arcueid as well as the Magicians of the Second and Fifth True Magics, Zelretch and Aozaki Aoko, managed to exile the #1, Primate Murder, into the Fairy Realm, to Avalon. Then there's Zelretch himself, the #4, who is bound by a Geis to not participate as a Master in the Grail Wars ever since he helped establish the System." I paused for a second before adding. "Oh, and I killed the #10, Nrvnqsr Chaos around the same time I met Arcueid and Primate Murder." I mentioned as an afterthought.

"Roa, the Serpent of Akasha, as well." Sakura reminded me.

"Yeah, him too." I confirmed.

"…" Illya stared at me slack-jawed.

"What?" I blinked.

"My Onii-chan is a… badass!" Illya exclaimed gleefully. "It must be part of being an Emiya! Papa was amazing as well!"

"No, Kiritsugu and I are exceptions. His father was an asshole." I shook my head in distaste. "Meddled with vampirism and turned a whole island into Dead. Dad killed him."

"Oh." Illya grimaced.

"Anyway…" Sakura spoke up "The #5 is not likely to be invited, given that it's ORT, the Type-Mercury. I doubt the Grail System is even compatible with it."

"True enough." I readily agreed. "Rizo-Waal Strout, the #6, is a possibility, however. He's also known as Black Knight Strout, is one of the oldest three Dead Apostles and is one of Altrouge Brunestud's bodyguards. He owes his immortality to a time curse and he wields a demonic sword named **True Demon Neardark**."

"So, a potential Saber wielding a demonic sword." Karna concluded. "What about the man himself?"

"He's supposedly invincible due to his form of immortality, but I can cut him off from it." I assured the group.

"Next would be the #7, the Forest of Einnashe… who obviously won't be taking part either." Sakura shook her head. "It's a sentient vampiric forest that moves around, eats entire towns at a time and then goes into hibernation for 50 years at a time. It's actually due to resurface soon, but since it was in Europe last time, it won't show up here."

"The #8 is another possibility. Fina-blood Svelten, nicknamed White Knight Blood, Bloodsucking Count and Demon of Stratovarius. He's the other bodyguard of Altrouge Brunestud. He is the captain of a ghost ship, and he possesses a Reality Marble of unknown nature called **Parade**. He's also a pedophile with a preference for young boys." I finished with a scowl.

"A potential Saber or Rider. I can think of several Heroic Spirits that were pirates." Karna commented.

"The #9 is Altrouge Brunestud herself, also known as the Vampire Princess of the Dead Apostles, Eclipse Princess of Black Blood and Master of Blood and Contract." I continued on. "She used to be a potential vessel for Crimson Moon Brunestud to reincarnate into, being half Dead Apostle and half True Ancestor, but that's no longer a problem, as I've said. She can't use **Marble Phantasm** and her regular form is quite weak but has two forms she had transform into. She used to hold Primate Murder's leash until it was banished, so we can assume she has a very powerful ability to influence or even tame Phantasmal Beasts beyond the Millennium Rank."

"Hm, a potential Caster or Rider, with an aptitude for taming beasts." Tamamo tilted her head in thought.

"The #11, Stanrobe Calhin, known as the First Wraith, Duke or Predation and City Devourer is next on the list." Sakura said. "He's a ghost, though, his body was destroyed by the Church and is supposed to fade away in a couple centuries, so it's unlikely he can be chosen."

"I think the #12 spot is still open." I glanced at Sakura who nodded in confirmation. "The #13 was killed last year by Arcueid with some help. Zepia Eltnam Oberon was his name, known as TATARI."

"Valery Fernand Vandelstam is the #14, better known as Van-Fem." Sakura mused. "He's basically the Dark Lord of the Business World. He's on bad terms with Fina-blood Svelten for stealing one of his Golem Castles. He's a Puppet Master who is the greatest in terms of making large constructs. Nicknamed Van-Fem of the Demonic Castle, he has created seven giant golems Demonic Castles, one of which was captured as I mentioned."

"A Caster that specializes in golems." Nero tilted her head. "Avicebron would be an option."

"You're right." I blinked. "Good thinking, Nero."

"Umu!" the blonde preened.

"The #15, Rita Rozay-en, is also known as The Artist's Lady. She's a typical high-class vampire with a liking for artistry. She is the successor of her parent vampire, having inherited their castle, where she takes a nightly blood bath. She is known for her arrogance, and for doing whatever she pleases." I frowned.

"Another potential Caster. I can't think of artistry being applied any for the other Classes." Illya pointed out.

"#16 is Gransurg Blackmore, the Black Wing Lord, Moon Drinker, Dead Apostle Killer and… Peng." I sighed. "He's one of Crimson Moon Brunestud's old servants. He's one of the most powerful Ancestors. He has a Reality Marble called **Nevermore** which was used to wipe out the previous sixteenth's clan of over one hundred vampires without damaging anything or staining the castle walls, gardens, or curtains with a single drop of blood after declaring '-Be careful, gentlemen. The birds dancing in my sky are vicious only to the dead-'. It covers the sky with a canopy of 'death wings' that produce a 'world of death' where absolute darkness swallows the light of the moon and stars."

"Either a Rider or a Caster. Maybe and Assassin as well. Too many options to make an accurate guess." Tamamo sighed.

"Probably something with birds, though. He's obsessed with them." Illya commented.

"True." I agreed.

"And then there's #17, Trhvmn Ortenrosse, the White Wing Lord." Sakura said. "He's the eldest of the Dead Apostles. He excels in being a vampire and sees other abilities as unnecessary for one such as him. He's called the King of the Dead Apostles, as he leads the largest faction and possesses the largest territory out of all Dead Apostles. He used to act as their voice in name only with Altrouge having even more influence, but that largely changed when Arcueid became the new Type-Moon, taking away whatever claim Altrouge had."

"A Berserker, most likely." Karna nodded slowly.

"That is, of course, if any of them get selected. These are merely the worst-case scenario Masters." Illya pointed out.

"Unless Zelretch gets involved." I sighed. "He can't participate in person, but he can easily pull a few dangerous people from other worlds to be selected as Masters."

"Think Happy Thoughts, Shirou, Happy Thoughts." Sakura encouraged in a comforting tone and with a strained smile.

"…Right." I gave her a small smile. "Either way, Tamamo, you are to keep watch on Fuyuki for any newcomers who have so much as a drop of prana more than the average human. This City is not that popular with magi, so whoever comes here at this time is almost certainly for the Grail War."

"Right! Leave it to me, Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo exclaimed.

"Sakura, Illya, we're going to make some familiars to spread out for even more information gathering, in case one of our enemies manages somehow to hide from Tamamo's mirror." I continued. "Unlikely, but not impossible."

"I suppose." The fox-girl pouted even as she summoned her Noble Phantasm to begin her scouting.

"I also have an idea about a distraction." I smirked.

"Oh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Rin. She's expected to participate in the Grail War, as are you, so if we set her loose with a few implanted compulsions she will draw away some attention from us, buying us more time." I explained.

"I detect four Magi already in Fuyuki." Tamamo spoke up and brought forth an image of the people in question, one by one.

"Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, of the Archibald Family." I instantly scowled.

"Archibald? Didn't they send a member in the last War as well? Lancer's Master, I think." Illya tilted her head.

"Right. And Kiritsugu destroyed their Magic Crest with his Origin Bullets. He's probably out for my blood and yours as well, given that Kiritsugu was the Einzbern representative." I deadpanned. "They actually got lucky Waver Velvet, the Master of Rider of the last War, felt responsible for some reason and helped them out, saving the family from absolute destruction. These days, he's the Lord El-Melloi II and an exceptional teacher at the Clock Tower. Rumor has it that if he planned a coup against the nobles, he has a fair chance of succeeding. A far-cry from the kid from a decade ago." I chuckled. "Next."

"Luviagelita Edelfelt." Sakura identified. "The Edelfelt sent their heirs to participate in the Third Grail War and used their Sorcery Trait to summon two Sabers instead of one, though they were weakened. Different versions of the same Heroic Spirit. One of them was seduced by my Great Grandfather and ended up as his wife. The specialize in Jewelcraft and Curses."

"She's about on Rin's level, I would say." I added. "Maybe better equipped since their family is filthy rich so she would have more high-quality jewels."

"Next." Illya requested. "I know this guy… he's an alchemist that deals with Homunculus coining. His family bought some old outdated designs from the Einzbern a few years back for a fortune. He's a Musik."

"Gordes Musik, yes." I nodded. "Next."

"Is that a Dead Apostle?" Illya stared in surprise.

"Not an Ancestor, thankfully, though she has the potential to become one given that she was turned by the #13." I revealed. "Sion Eltnam Atlasia, former member of Atlas and a member of the Eltnam Family. She helped kill TATARI and is seeking a cure for her vampirism." I smiled.

"A potential ally, given that you possess such a cure." Sakura nodded.

"Besides her family's **Etherlite** Mystic Code, she also possesses the **Barrel Replica** , a replica of the **Black Barrel**. That means she could take out a Servant in one hit if she gets a lucky shot. Be warry of her." I warned.

"Wait, hold on, you have a cure for Vampirism?" Illya demanded.

"The **Elixir of Life**." I confirmed. "And yes, I tested it on an Apostle I encountered before, and it worked just fine."

"I have a visual on Archisorte's Servant!" Tamamo called for attention as her mirror revealed a teenage girl with black hair, red eyes, clad in a black military uniform with a crimson cloak around her shoulders. She also had a sheathed katana in hand.

"A Saber, is it?" Nero asked with a grin.

"No, I think she's an Archer." I denied. "As far as I know, Oda Nobunaga is only qualified for Archer and Berserker, and she seems sane to me."

"Oda Nobunaga, is it? The Devil King of the Sixth Heaven?" Nero's grin widened. "I would like to face her."

"You will. Neither Tamamo nor Karna are going anywhere near her." I grimaced. "She has an Anti-Mystery Anti-Army Noble Phantasm and an Anti-Divine Reality Marble one where those possessing Divinity burn the higher their Divinity Rank. She's incredibly dangerous to Heroic Spirits tied to the Divine or with high Mystery rank. Add that she's getting a boost for being in Japan, and you can imagine what will be like to face her."

"We're about to find out. She's heading straight here." Tamamo warned.

"What?!" Illya exclaimed. "She can't be reckless enough to attack in broad daylight… can she?"

"This is the 'Big Fool of Owari' we're talking about." I deadpanned. "Plus, with a Reality Marble, she won't risk exposure."

"What do we do?" Sakura tensed.

"Karna, Tamamo, head out in the opposite direction she's coming from. Sakura and Illya, go with them. Nero and I will handle them." I instructed.

"Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo protested.

"No, I'm not letting you get killed out of stubbornness." I said firmly as I rose to my feet. "Go now!"

Grudgingly, the two Magi and two Servants left leaving just me and Nero in the house… well, Rin as well, but she did not really count, being still unconscious and rather expendable in my eyes.

"Let's go greet them, shall we?" I suggested.

"Umu! It would only be proper, Praetor!" Nero agreed.

As such, not five minutes later, just as the enemy Master-Servant duo got within ten meters of the Emiya property, the front gate opened for Nero and I to exit, our eyes immediately falling on the Archer and the Archibald.

"So, you are indeed part of this Grail War, Emiya!" the blue-eyed blonde glared. "I shall have my revenge for…"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I tilted my head.

"Don't pretend to be ignorant of what your father did to my family!" she spat.

"…That does not narrow it down at all, I'm afraid." I shook my head. "You'd be surprised how many families with delusions of grandeur and adequacy he destroyed."

"Delusions of….!" The blonde spluttered. "How dare you?!"

"Oh, wait, I think I recognize you!" I snapped my fingers. "That blond hair, those blue eyes, that look on your face that says you think you have the slightest idea of what a Grail War is like when you are way, way out of your league… you're a relative of that blonde snob Master of Lancer from the Fourth Grail War who dad crippled before he ran away like a little bitch. Ero-Mellow something."

"Y-You…!" the blonde gaped and spluttered at him before settling on glaring. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Finally clued in on that, did you?" her own Servant laughed boisterously.

"Shut up and kill them!" Reines growled.

" **ID Create."** I uttered, dragging the two of them along with Nero and I into an Illusion Barrier.

"W-What is this?" Reines flinched as she looked around. "A Reality Marble of some sort?"

"Wow, that's just sad." I shook my head in disappointment. "You have a Servant that possesses an actual Reality Marble and are mistaking a Mirror World for one. Really, what is Waver teaching you?"

"How do you…?"

"So, you know who I am, do you?" Archer called out curiously.

"What kind of Japanese citizen would I be if I could not recognize the person who conquered the whole country, eh, Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Nobu-chan." I grinned at how she was preening. "Plus, when you have an Anti-Christ as a Servant, it's not that hard to miss another god-hater."

"Oh, is that so?" Nobunaga perked up.

"Nero Claudius Caesar." Saber grinned. "I will be having your head now."

"If you think you can, then come!" Nobunaga cackled. **"Three Thousand Worlds!"** she declared as she manifested 3000 arquebuses in her surroundings and fired them towards Nero and myself.

Fortunately, while the 3000 red beams held quite a lot of power due to her **Tenka Fubu – Innovation** skill detecting my high level of Mystery as a Type – artificial or not – as well as Divinty, in addition to the bonus it got from both Nero and I possessing a **Riding** skill, we were simply too fast to be hit.

As such, while the copy of my house and a large chunk of the neighborhood was razed from the face of the Earth, Nero and I had gotten out of the way in time thanks to our very high DEX stat, becoming little more than blurs in Archer's eyes and even less in her Master's.

"Hoh, you run well! But what about fighting?" Nobunaga taunted… before jumping back just in time to avoid being cleaved in half by Nero, still getting a cut across her chest that mostly damaged her uniform to reveal some cleavage and only a thin vertical cut between her breasts. "That's more like it!"

"A-Archer!" Reines cried out.

Turning towards the sound of her Master's voice, Nobunaga froze. There, sitting casually up on a fence, was I, holding Reines by the scruff of her shirt, a crimson blade seemingly made of crystal at her throat.

" **Papiyas!"** Nobunaga roared and the world was suddenly engulfed in crimson flames that hurt like nothing I had ever felt before.

Idly, as I collapsed to by knees, I noticed that Reines was gone from my grip, having been relocated to a safe location upon being dragged into the Reality Marble.

" _Damn, this hurts like hell!"_ I grimaced as agony the likes of which I had never experienced wrecked my body. The only upside was that with my HP Regeneration being as high as it was, I was healing far faster than I was receiving damage. A glance at my Servant showed similar results, though while Nero's HP Regeneration rate was more than 10 times slower than mine, she was receiving far less damage.

Still, it was not time for sitting around. A glance towards Nobunaga's last known location showed that her Master was now behind her while the Archer as looking at me with a confused look, wondering why I was being so affected given that I was supposed to be a human Master, and yet I was seemingly not being damaged as a result.

" _Good thing I'm prepared for such a mess."_ I grinned ferally, tightening my grip around the handle of the sword made entirely of red crystal that I had been holding before raising it… and stabbing it into the scorched ground to the hit.

The world of flame seems to screech to a halt even as Nobunaga unleased a scream of unspeakable agony… and violation. Unsurprising, really, given that I had inflicted unspeakable damage to her Reality Marble, her very soul itself manifested.

The red crystal sword had been created with Kiritsugu in mind. Specifically, the **Origin Bullets** made up in a large part from his very bones, his two upper ribs to be exact which had been surgically extracted and then pulverized into a fine powder before being used in the creation of his infamous **Origin Bullets**.

Naturally, my **Origin Sword** was different, and not just in form and size. For one thing, it was not made out of my bones. It could not be, not when the **Gamer's Body** prevented the sort of surgery necessary to remove so much as the bone in my pinky, never mind enough to make a sword out of it. Instead, it was made out of a large quantity of my blood, crystalized with **Death Resistive Body** and infused from its moment of creation with a godlike amount of my potent prana.

Secondly, while Kiritsugu's Elemental Affinities were Fire and Earth and his Origins **Severing** and **Binding** , mine were both **Sword** , making me an **Incarnation of Sword** and insuring that the shape of whatever weapon I was to make simply **had** to be a sword or bladed weapon in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

Thirdly, I had a Reality Marble. Sure, the Innate Bounded Field within the Emiya Crest was close enough, however neither was it truly part of Kiritsugu nor had he received it before his ribs were extracted. Even if he had, the fragment of the Emiya Crest that he got would have never been able to stand up to my **Unlimited Blade Works** even on its best day. And I had metaphysically poured my soul into the creation of the **Origin Sword** , even if it would be rendered useless after just one use. For that use alone, it would carry the full weight and power of **Unlimited Blade Works** behind its edge.

Lastly, I had been able to infuse a second ability drawn from a sword within my Reality Marble into the **Origin Sword**. It was something that would activate in rare circumstances as it required for the target to possess certain a certain quality which was nearly unhear of among humans, though seen at times in Servant.

Under my very eyes, Unlimited Blade Works erupted from Oda Nobunaga's body, impaling her from inside-out with countless blades. It was an effect I had aimed for from the very beginning, imitating the **Origin Bullet** of Servant Archer EMIYA Alter from Fate Grand Order, only in sword form and clearly more powerful and versatile.

For, while my own Reality Marble was killing Nobonaga from inside-out, it's former vessel, the **Origin Sword** , was now empty and filling itself with Archer's own inner world, sucking the crimson demonic flames into itself and transforming into a katana with a black handle, golden guard and crimson blade.

It was the ability of the **Asauchi** EMIYA had once seen on a Shinigami that had somehow – likely via Zelretch's meddling – had ended up in a world parallel to this one during a Grail War the Counter Guardian had been summoned to participate in. Simply put, an **Asauchi** was am empty vessel meant to connect to and channel the power of a Shinigami's Inner World, becoming their personal **Zanpakuto**.

What my **Origin Sword** did, however, was similar yet brutally different. It had first cut the connection between Nobunaga and her Reality Marble by shoving **Unlimited Blade Works** inside Archer and pushing out all of **Papiyas**. Then, as Nobunaga was dying, the **Origin Sword** acted like and **Asauchi** only to a much higher degree in that it was not connecting to an Inner World but rather taking an unbound Inner World into itself and transforming to be able to make complete use of it in my hands, the person who had created the **Origin Sword** rather than Nobunaga, the person who had owned the Reality Marble.

Once it was all over, I found myself within the Illusion Barrier once more, surrounded by the wreckage done by Archer's **Three Thousand Worlds** and gazing at the motes of prana of the Servant I had just killed which were disappearing as the empty Lesser Grail in my pocket absorbed the power.

"N-No… Archer…!" Reines stared in despair.

"Now then, what to do with you?" Nero mused as she placed her red sword at the younger blonde's throat while I drew the **Papiyas** sword, burned it into my mind – my Reality Marble, to be exact – and stored the original into my Inventory.

"Well, we could kill her." I began. "We can torture her. We can use her for experimentation in my riskier projects. Or…" my grin became utterly demonic "or we can let her go and send her back home where I'm sure a certain someone she had neglected to tell about her participation in the Fifth Grail War is anxiously waiting with a looong lecture planned for her."

Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, the Princess of El-Melloi, palled.

"Why, he may be upset enough to give you as spanking… though, then again, that would be something you would enjoy, isn't it?" I taunted. "For shame, lusting after the step-brother you yourself chose." I grinned at the blushing and spluttering fifteen-year-old. "Yeah, we'll go with letting you go… after I take your Command Spells, that is." I reached out and grabbed her right hand, causing the two remaining red sigils she had to relocate to my own skin. With a telepathic instruction from me, Nero Astralized before I destroyed the ID, returning us to the real world. "A word of advice, little lady." I continued as I pulled her hand, helping her back up to her feet. "You may learn a thing or two if you stick around to watch the Grail War to the very end just as Waver Velvet had, but it would be best to do so from a distance via Familiars given that you no longer possess a Servant to defend you."

"And who's fault is that?" Reines growled as she pulled her hand from my grip.

"Why, the careless idiot who decided it was a good idea to attack an enemy Magus' home in broad daylight, of course." I deadpanned.

"It was Archer's idea!" Reines protested.

"Then you're more alike to Waver than I thought. He also had no control over his Rider. The way Iskandar dragged him around all over Fuyuki in his chariot was hilarious." I grinned even as I reached into my Inventory and pulled a bag I had packed just before I left the house. "Speaking of the Lord El-Melloi II, please give him this when you get home." I handed her the bag. "He'll know what it is, and in the highly unlikely event he does not recognize it – as in, someone messed with his memories – then the note should remind him."

"What is this… two golden goblets and a golden jug filled with… red wine?" Reines frowned in confusion.

"That wine is worth more than the entire Archibald fortune before the Fourth Grail War." I told her.

"Really?" the blonde snorted.

"You don't need to take my word for it. Your brother will explain it to you. Goodbye and try not to commit Suicide-by-Emiya again." I turned and headed back toward the gate of my property.

"Why? I tried to kill you? Why are you letting me go?" Reines demanded in frustration.

"You were never a threat to me. Nobunaga was, indeed, one of the few Servants that you could have summoned that actually posed a threat, but with her gone I have little to worry about from you. Plus, you're just an angry teenager. You should look into getting laid, it deals with the stress like nothing else." I advised.

"I could send Magi after you! Emiya Kiritsugu has a lot of enemies." Reines threatened.

"Had, he's been dead for five years." I corrected. "As for Magi trying to kill me…" I turned and gave her an amused smirk "If you run into Zelretch at the Clock Tower, ask him how that worked out for the White Beast of Gaia. Then you'll understand why I'm not worried." With that I closed the gate behind me and calmly walked back to the house, Nero Materializing at my side.

"Are you truly well, Praetor?" Nero asked in concern. "I saw what that fire did to you."

"I'm fine. A bit shaken up from the pain, but no lasting harm. My Regeneration took care of it." I assured her. **"Utopia Cure. Utopia Blessing. Utopia Cure. Utopia Blessing."** I cast both on her and on myself. "This should be enough to deal with any side-effects." I added. It had not been really necessary, but if it allayed her concerns I was willing to do it. It was not like I was getting low on prana, after all.

As we entered the house, I telepathically called back the others before they ran into other enemies before taking a look at what I had glimpsed from Nobunaga with **Master Vision**.

 **Class: Archer**

 **Name: Oda Nobunaga**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

 **Attribute: Human**

 _ **Parameters**_

 **Strength: B**

 **Endurance: B**

 **Agility: B**

 **Mana: A**

 **Luck: A-**

 **N. Phantasm: E~EX**

Nodding to myself, I shifted my attention to the other windows that had popped up.

 **You have killed Servant Archer, the Big Fool of Owari, Oda Nobunaga! +25.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, at least we have one less Servant to worry about now." Sakura commented as the group watched Reines' retreating form on Tamamo's mirror.

"True enough. Just six more to go." Illya agreed.

"Or less, if we manage to recruit some to our cause or ally to their Masters." I point out.

"And what are the chances of that happening?" Lancer inquired.

"Well, given the vampire wants a cure for her condition which I possess, not too bad actually." I pointed out. "We just need to wait a bit longer to see if her Servant can be reasoned with. If that Servant is too stubborn or desperate for the Grail, we'll have to put him or her down." I shrugged.

"What of the other two we know?" Nero asked.

"The Musik guy is a pompous ass from what I know, so it's unlikely we can reason with him." I mused. "As for the Edelfelt girl… she's very proud and stubborn, much like Rin. And haughtier than Tohsaka."

"We're giving Rin a roommate." Sakura concluded.

"I can also make a copy of her Magic Crest, so there's that as well." I shrugged. "You probably have part of it already given your Edelfelt ancestor, but an update would not be a bad idea."

"True." The plum-haired girl agreed.

"Why didn't you do the same with Archer's Master?" Illya pointed out.

"Because dad wrecked her family Magic Crest, hence why she was so pissed at me in the first place?" I reminded her.

"Oh." Illya blushed.

"I've got another Master!" Tamamo announced suddenly and showed an image on her mirror.

"…Fuck." My head dropped.

"Onii-chan?" Illya blinked.

"What's the matter, Goshujin-sama?" Tamamo frowned.

"Do you perhaps know her, Praetor?" Nero guessed.

"I know her, alright." I sighed. "That's Arcueid Brunestud, formerly the Last and Strongest-Ever True Ancestor."

"Formerly?" Karna frowned.

"Yes. Because I personally turned her into an Ultimate One. A dual one, at that, of both the Moon and the Earth." I revealed.

"…well fuck." Illya mirrored my initial reaction.

"She owes you, though. Big time." Sakura reminded me. "You can use this to try convincing her to side with us. From what you've told me, it's unlikely she has any actual wish for the Grail."

"Maybe." I admitted as I set my eyes on the image of Arcueid who was window-shopping. "The problem with her, though, is that she's very… whimsical. She does what she wants whenever she wants and has little concern for consequences. And, given that she had tons of supporters even before she became a Type, she could afford to be as careless as she wanted to, given that other people were doing the cleanup."

"So… what's the plan?" Nero frowned down at the image of the red-eyed blonde.

"…I'll go talk to her. Alone." I held a hand up to forestall protests. "I'm the only one anywhere close to being in her league. She'd be able to kill any of you with a gesture thanks to her Marble Phantasm, even after the bath in Fafnir's blood."

"How?" Illya asked in shock.

"Wind. She's just push it into your body via your mouth and nose and tear you apart from the inside." I explained.

"Damn it." Illya grit her teeth.

"I'm heading out now." I declared as I stood up. "It may not be a Full Moon tonight, but at her core she's still a vampire and gets a power boost at night. Better approach her before that."

"True enough." Karna agreed. "As for the other Masters, I would like for myself to confront the Musik magus. I… have a feeling about this." He admitted.

"…Alright. I'm not expecting him to be anything spectacular as a magus, but Sakura should go with you and support you with Command Spells if needed in case he got lucky with his Servant. Speaking of which…" I touched Sakura's arm and transferred the two Command Spells I got from Reines.

"We should let Tohsaka out as well. Her waking up and freaking out is bound to cause a bit of distraction as well." Illya added.

"Mm, I'll drop her off on a bench in the park." I agreed. "See you later. Tamamo, keep an eye out for enemies. Nero, I'll leave the protection of the house and my sister in your hands." I instructed.

"Umu! I won't let you down, Praetor!" Nero promised.

"I'll be sure to find the rest of them for you, Goshujin-sama." Tamamo assured.

"Sakura, I know this guy is not supposed to be anything impressive but be careful. If you have to, kill him. All the Archers that could be involved in this Grail War have been eliminated, so the remaining Servants won't have an **Independent Action** skill to fall back on should they lose their Masters." I told my girlfriend.

"I'll be alright, Shirou." Sakura smiled as she pulled a Class Card from her own storage space. A Rider. "I'm keeping some insurance on hand." She assured.

"Good. I'll be off then. Tamamo, I'll ask you about Arcueid after I drop off Tohsaka." I told the Caster as I left.

Half hour later, I was approaching Arcueid after leaving Rin on a bench in the park and setting it up so she would wake up not long after.

"Hello Arcueid." I greeted her.

"Ah, Shirou! It's been a while!" the long-haired blonde smiled brightly.

"A couple years or so." I agreed. "So… I'll skip the small-talk and get right to the point. Why are you taking part in the Grail War?"

"Because I was chosen as a Master?" Arcueid tilted her head.

"Cute, but what's your goal?" I frowned. "The Grail is corrupted, any wish made on it would be distorted and the end result will be destruction on a planetary scale."

"Tsk, fine." Arcueid pouted. "I want to fight you. You've shown me how strong you were when we met in Misaki Town, and you've only grown stronger since, haven't you. I don't have any actual challenges left in this world, and with Roa gone I have no duties either. I want to fight an opponent that can _take a hit_ , damn it!"

"ORT?" I offered.

"Gramps said no. That it'll trigger the invasion of the other Types early." She huffed.

"Your sister? She has two powerful henchmen around her at all times as well." I reminded her.

"Tempting, ooh so tempting… but is still haven't figured out how she managed to steal my hair and thus my power back then. If she can repeat it now, when I'm a Type…" Arcueid grimaced.

"Have you tried the Reverse Side of the World?" I sighed.

"…No." she admitted.

"You could also ask Zelretch to send you to a world where…" I trailed off at the look I was receiving. "Yeah, what the hell am I saying?" my head dropped. "Fine, I'll fight you… and your Servant."

"Oh, just you? Haven't you summoned your Servant yet?" Arcueid blinked.

"Oh, I did. I just don't want to subject my Servant to whatever monster you pulled from the Throne of Heroes. You're not the type to use a Catalyst, so there's only a handful options." I grimaced. "Please tell me you didn't summon a Berserker!"

"No. Why?" the blonde asked suspiciously.

"Bloodrage you." I said simply.

"Ouch!" Arcueid winced. "That can happen?"

"I killed an alternate future version of myself a couple days ago." I deadpanned. "If I, who was only born less than twenty years ago, can accumulate a legend and end up in the Throne, so can you."

"Good point." Arcueid was nodding before wincing. "But… Berserker?"

"You're known as the last True Ancestor… because you went crazy and killed the rest." I shrugged. "Unfair, true, given the circumstances, but that's life."

"Oh yeah? What was that Servant version of you like?" she huffed.

"Heavily tanned, hair bleached white and one of Alaya's dogs to boot." I deadpanned.

"Ah." Arcueid grimaced. "I guess I don't have room to complain then."

"No, you don't." I agreed. "Now, let's do this. **ID Create**." I declared as I jumped back to put some distance between us… and then mule-kicked behind me.

"Ugh!" I heard and, seeing that Arcueid was not yet attacking, I chanced a look and used **Akashic Sight** immediately just in case I did not recognize the Servant as I did not have time to guess. Fortunately, I recognized him with a glance and could not help put comment as I watched him painfully get up. "Seriously Arcueid? You got so jealous that Shiki is doing his sister and maids that you went and summoned one for yourself?"

I promptly dodged the countless blades of razor wind that turned the asphalt into dust.

"So, you know who I am." The Servant Assassin commented, pulling off the bandages wrapped around his eyes.

"I know exactly who you are, Tohno Shiki. Or do you prefer Nanaya. Or rather…" I smirked "Satsujinki?"

"…How annoying." Assassin sighed.

"Isn't it?" I agreed while tracing a fruit knife and darted at him, engaging him in a knife-fight.

"How? How do you have eyes like mine?" Shiki demanded even as I blocked his attacks on my Lines and Points of Death while aiming at his.

"Eyes like yours? Don't look down on me, brat. My eyes see far more than just Death." I shot back and, for a moment, I stopped holding back on my speed.

End result? Assassin began dispersing into motes of prana that were collected in the Lesser Grail in my pocket. All 54 pieces of him.

"Okay, that was pretty good." Arcueid grinned as I stored away the Lesser Grail in my Inventory. "But is that all you've got?" she taunted.

" **Unlimited Blade Works."** I promptly declared, dragging her with me into my Reality Marble.

"…I didn't know you had one of these." Arcueid twitched.

"Zelretch forgot to mention it, then? Imagine that." I smirked before adding "Pretty much all parallel versions of me have the exact same Reality Marble."

"You don't say." Arcueid grumbled.

The reason for her irritation was simple: she was now cut off from the Earth and Moon twice over. Once by the Illusion Barrier and one by my Reality Marble. However…

"Then I'll have to take you seriously then, don't I?" Arcueid grinned as the Crimson Moon was forced into existence in the previously Moonless sky.

It was possible, after all, for one to impose their own Reality Marble while within another Reality Marble. I had experimented with such myself, after all, using the Class Cards. Now, with the Moon nearby, Arcueid could receive **Backup** from it, potentially increasing her power until it was a level above mine.

"Right back at you!" I smirked and I taped into my own Type-Fake well of power.

Due to my unique condition, I could not only freely draw on power while within my Reality Marble, on the power of the countless blades within, but I could also synchronize myself to another world, to fake being that world's Ultimate One. And, in this case…

" **Impossible!"** Arcueid stared in shock a I drew from the power of her own Crimson Moon, enough to first match and then surpass her.

"Impossible? You don't know me too well, at all." I chuckled. "Doing the impossible is something I excel at. Besides, if I could turn you into a Dual-Type, something unheard of before, then why can't I turn myself into a Type as well?"

"So… you're Type-Moon as well?" she asked incredulously.

"Type-Fake." I corrected. "And that's enough banter, I believe. You wanted a fight, didn't you?"

"…Damn right I did!" Arcueid exclaimed and suddenly the battle was on.

The landscape was ravaged again and again, tornadoes, rains of lightning, glaciers, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, we were causing them all left, right and center and tossing them at each-other with our **Marble Phantasms**.

I did not know how long the battle lasted, it could have been days, hours or even just minutes with the speed we were moving at, but the end result was the same: Arcueid pinned to the ground missing a third of her body mass, held down by the effects of seven copies of an ancient spear Noble Phantasm with a legend of subduing nature spirits… and convinced to stay down by the two-bladed weapon whose tip was at her throat.

"W-Where did you get something like… _**this**_?" she asked in shock… once her vocal cords regrew.

The weapon in question looked like two black swords connected at the pommel. It was as long as I was tall and its very presence was enough to send a shiver of terror even through me, despite being its wielder.

" **Slash Emperor** , 'that which consumes planets'." I named it.

It was a **Knight Arm** , a weapon formed from the Grain accumulated within the body of an **Ether Liner** , a sup-species of humanity that has been modified to survive in the Grain-rich atmosphere that would exist on Earth after the death of Gaia. This **Knight Arm** in particular, **Slash Emperor** , had destroyed both Type-Jupiter and Type-Saturn in the timeline EMIYA had witnessed and memorized it. He had, however, been unable to ever wield it as his body was that of a human, thus lacking in Grain. I, however, was a Type, although an artificial one, and possessed the highest amount possible for a living being… outside a planet, of course.

It was, in essence, a Type Slayer.

"Do you yield?" I asked calmly.

"…Yeah. I had enough." Arcueid sighed.

 **You have killed Servant Assassin, the Satsujinki, Tohno Shiki! +25.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have defeated Dual-Type Earth & Moon, Arcueid Brunestud! +300.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **+39 STR.**

 **+42 VIT.**

 **+62 DEX.**

 **+21 INT.**

 **+35 WIS.**

 **+10 LUCK.**

I promptly dismissed the notice windows, both the weapons in my hand and those holding her down before helping her up, her body having fully regenerated already.

"Good fight." I grinned as I began to slowly let the adrenaline drain out of me.

"Damn right it was." Arcueid agreed. "You're far stronger than I imagined."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be a good Type when you grow up as well." I teased.

"Do I look like I need to grow up?" she thrust he chest forward, causing her breasts to bounce.

She was, after all, completely naked, as was I. Our clothing had been the first casualty of our fight, with the landscape being second.

"Well, my girlfriend's are bigger." I shrugged even as I eyed her breasts. "Not by much, but every inch counts."

"Hmph." Arcueid huffed and crossed her arms under her breasts, clearly trying to make them look bigger. "And here I was going to invite you to sleep with me."

"Do you see this?" I pointed at what hung between my legs. "I like it right where it is. And Sakura would have it removed if she heard I slept with someone without her permission."

"I doubt that. I already tried, remember." The Dual-Type pointed out.

"Hence another reason why you're not getting any." I glared. It might not be possible for me to be castrated – thank Gaia for **Gamer's Body** – but it did hurt like hell when someone tried to.

"Fine! See if I care." Arcueid huffed.

"I'm seeing it." I deadpanned while reaching into my Inventory and pulling out a change of clothes and putting them on before taking out one of Sakura's dresses and a pair of shoes and giving them to Arcueid who accepted them gratefully, frowning slightly when she realized it was indeed a bit loose around the chest area. "Have you found a place to stay yet? Or are you leaving Fuyuki already?"

"I'd like to stay and watch the rest of the War. Can I stay at your place?" she gave me a puppy-eye stare.

"If you promise to help defend the house if its attacked, including the residents such as myself, Sakura, our Servants and my little sister, then yes." I nodded.

"You have a little sister?" Arcueid blinked in surprise.

"Yep. She's Kiritsugu's biological daughter." I confirmed.

"Okay, I'll earn my keep." The Dual-Type nodded even as I dismissed the Reality Marble and the Illusion Barrier. "Is she cute?"

"Absolutely adorable." I confirmed before checking the time when I noticed it was dark. "Well, at least only hours have passed rather than days." I grumbled. "I need to go take a look around town. You head to my place, I'm sending word ahead to let you in."

"Sure, sure." The blonde nodded as she walked away. "See you later, Shirou."

"Bye." I shot back before beginning to speak telepathically with my party. _"Okay, I'm finally done with Arcueid. I killed her Assassin and fought her until she was satisfied. She agreed to help guard the house while she stays there during the remainder of her time in Fuyuki, so you can leave and come to me, Nero."_

" _Great! I was getting rather bored."_ The Empress of Roses admitted.

" _What's going on, what have I missed?"_ I asked.

" _Karna and I are fighting Musik's Saber. The Master is hidden away somewhere. Saber is apparently invulnerable as well, so the battle is getting quite good given that neither Lancer nor Saber can do any damage to each-other."_ Sakura declared.

" _Describe Saber for me, please."_ I requested.

" _A tall man with silver-grey hair. He's wearing silver armor, though his chest is bare and has a glowing green tattoo on it. His sword…"_ Sakura was saying.

" _Siegfried, the one who slayed Fafnir and bathed in his blood. His weakness is a spot in the middle of his back, or dragon-slayer weapons which would bypass his protection."_ I cut in.

" _Understood."_ Karna replied.

" _Once he's dead, see if you can track down the Master and retrieve his Command Spells. If you can't it's no tragedy, but a few extras might come in handy."_ I told them. _"Any other news?"_

" _Edelfelt ran into Tohsaka and had a little verbal spat. Edelfelt took the chance to mock Tohsaka when she saw she did not have Command Spells and showed off her servant Rider."_ Tamamo replied. _"Silver and grey Greek armor with an eagle design on the chest under a pair of crossed branches. Has green hair, wields a spear…"_

" _Achilles, the invulnerable Hero of the Trojan War."_ I recognized the description. _"Just how many invulnerable Servants will there be in this War? First Karna, then Heracles, then Siegfried and now Achilles as well?"_

" _It does seem rather ridiculous."_ Tamamo agreed.

" _Any other fights going on?"_ I asked. _"Or is someone waiting on the sidelines near Sakura?"_

" _Two Master-Servant pairs are fighting."_ Tamamo reported. _"A female Lancer in a purple bodysuit with a red spear…"_

" _Scathach, the Witch of Dun Scaith."_ I sighed.

" _Whose Master appears to be a Church Executor with blue hair…"_

" _Ciel aka Yumi aka Elesia, a former incarnation of Roa, the Dead Apostle I killed a few years back…"_

" _Against the vampire and her Berserker who also appears to be a vampire."_ Tamamo finished.

" _Sion is going to lose."_ I sighed. _"Where are they?"_ I asked as I pulled out another empty Lesser Grail and placed it in my inner pockets. I had six at all times, as did Sakura. You never know when and where a Servant could drop dead.

" _Near the Church."_ The Caster replied.

" _Meet you there, Nero."_ I told my Saber before slipping into a Time-Warped ID and dashing off.

Leaving the ID once I got close, I grimaced as I felt one of the Lesser Grails filling and thus, I was not in the least surprised to find Sion pinned to the ground with **Black Keys** while a smirking Ciel stalked towards her to administer the killing blow. Meanwhile Lancer, who turned out to be Scathach indeed, watched on with a bored look.

" **Ατλας."** I uttered as I glared at Ciel, freezing her in place with the Divine Words spell I had learnt from the Medea Caster Class Card.

"What?" Scathach whirled to face me and I promptly deflected the stab to the side followed by delivering a bone-pulverizing kick at her chest. Showing her legendary combat skill, Scathach bent back to avoid the actual kick and allowed the small shockwave that came with it to push her back to gain some distance from me. "Interesting. You're not a Servant, but you move decently." She remarked curiously.

'Thank you." I smiled pleasantly as I calmly walked up to the pinned-down Sion while still keeping Lancer within my line of sight. Then, I simply kicked away the **Black Keys** holding the vampire down, allowing her to get up.

"…Why are you helping me?" the Alchemist asked warily.

"Let's just say that Shiki would be upset if I let you die and leave it at that." I remarked even as I pulled a bottle of **Elixir of Life** from my Inventory and handed it to her. "Drink, it will heal you up."

"Why should I trust you?" Sion did not make a move to take the bottle.

"Because if I wanted you dead, I only had to wait for a few more seconds for Elesia here to end you." I deadpanned.

Sion scowled but accepted the bottle and after a curious sniff she took a few sips… before dropping it as her entire body began to shudder and steam. Having expected it, I promptly reached out and caught it before it hit the ground before putting it back into my Inventory as it had served its purpose.

"W-What have you done to me?" Sion demanded angrily once she had regained control over her body.

"Why, I gave you exactly what you wanted." I smirked. "Or have you not noticed that you are human once more."

"…what?" Sion whispered in shock as her eyes widened before she immediately began running several diagnostic and analysis spells on herself simultaneously. "How?"

"Something you should have used from the very beginning, miss Atlas Alchemist, given that Atlas has several **Philosopher Stones**. The **Elixir of Life**." I deadpanned. "Now, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything." Sion said seriously.

I finally took my eyes off the amused-looking Scathach for a second to glare at the now former vampire with my **Akashi Sight**.

"Get out of my city." I ordered. "I have enough things to worry about with this Grail War without current and former Apostles popping up from the wood-work."

"Very well, I have just lost my Servant anyway so I have no reason to stay." Sion admitted.

"Who was your Servant, anyway?" I asked absently.

"Berserker Dracula." Sion grimaced.

"Ouch, Vlad hates the vampire form he gets from that **Legend of Dracula** Noble Phantasm." I winced in sympathy.

"How do you know about…?" Sion flinched.

"Various circumstances. Now scram." I shooed her away.

"Are you done?" Scathach asked with a hint of irritation.

"Yep." I gave her a feral smile even as I **Traced** a **Gae Bolg**.

"That's…!" Lancer's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, it is. Now, care to see if I can live up to the original owner?" I taunted as I took a stance all too familiar to her.

"Fine, I guess I have to beat the answers out of you." Scathach smirked.

"Right back at you. I want to know how the hell are you here, as I doubt you were foolish enough to make a contract to either Gaia or Alaya for it." I frowned.

"Ah, that's quite simple, actually." Scathach admitted. "Given what you said, you know who I am, correct?"

"Scathach. My name is Emiya Shirou, by the way." I introduced myself.

"Charmed." Scathach chuckled. "As for your question, as the Land of Shadows existed outside the World already, I simply had to push it further and toward Akasha, the Throne of Heroes, to be exact."

"And it was assimilated by the Throne, becoming your territory within it and you a Heroic Spirit despite being alive." I concluded. "Let me guess, you can't Astralize."

"Indeed. As my physical body never died. It's one of the thing I hope to rectify in this Grail War." Lancer admitted.

"Not with the Grail, I hope. I'm afraid it's far too corrupted to be used for anything other than destroying the world by this point. The Einzbern tried to cheat by messing with the System to summon a Divine Spirit as the irregular Servant Avenger for the Third Grail War, and they chose Angra Mainyu of all deities." I revealed.

"That's unfortunate indeed." Scathach commented. "Fortunately, I am reasonable certain that a definite enough death as a Servant will be enough to achieve my goal."

"Then I'll make sure to oblige." I twirled the **Gae Bolg** as we began to circle each-other. "Speaking of wishes, though, what does Elesia want?"

"Elesia?" Scathach arched an eyebrow.

"Your Master. That's her actual name, regardless if she prefers to call herself Yumi or Ciel these days." I replied.

"I think she wants to wipe out all Apostle-kind." Scathach shrugged.

"Not a bad wish, but as I said the Grail won't grant it." I shrugged back before lunging at her and engaging in a fierce spear fight.

It quickly became apparent that she surpassed me in skill by a wide margin and, after getting more cuts on my clothes than I cared to count – yet not even a scratch on my skin – I backed off and dismissed the spear.

"Giving up now?" Scathach arched an eyebrow. "I will admit, your skill is comparable with my old student's, Setanta. How?"

"Let's just say that, in another life, his spear would have gorged my heart by this point." I deadpanned… before **Tracing** a different **Gae Bolg**. Specifically, the one in her hands.

"…So that's it. You can copy a weapon you are familiar enough with and imitate the skill if its true owner." Scathach narrowed her eyes. "Pellicular, yet disappointing. Even if you managed to copy my movements like a monkey, you cannot copy my speed and strength, not to mention my experience."

"Copy your speed and strength?" I smiled in amusement. "Now why should I do that? I've already enjoyed sparing with you for long enough, so guess it's time to move on to making good on my promise to kill you."

"What do you mean?" Scathach frowned… before dodging like hell a stab at the back of her skull that had come out of nowhere. _"If it wasn't for my instinct…!"_ she stared wide-eyed.

"The reason this fight has lasted for so long is due to me wanting to enjoy a spar against a warrior of your caliber." I smiled as I casually twirled the spear. "But all good things come to an end, so I won't be holding back _most of my speed and strength anymore_." I declared before attacking again and this time I did not stop after a single thrust. I continued even after Scathach's body was littered with cuts, after her left arm was injured to deeply at the shoulder that it became useless, and only stopped when the Witch of Dun Scaith was pinned to a wall by both my spear and hers, one through the abdomen and the other through the chest… yet missing her heart.

"Impressive." Scathach grinned and spat some blood, not at all upset by her condition. "Oh, how I wished to have met one such as you, millennia ago." She said wistfully.

"I get that a lot from women, minus the 'millennia ago' part." I smirked.

"Hoh, maybe next time we meet you can prove that claim." Scathach mused.

"They tend to ask for a 'next time' as well." I added cheerfully even as I **Traced Harpe**.

"That blade… yes, that will certainly guarantee my death." Scathach smiled gleefully as she stared at the scythe. "And speaking of next time, I would not mind being summoned by you at some point in the future. Even if I now achieve the goal of finally dying, my territory within the Throne of Heroes is still the Land of Shadows that I have had more than enough of for several immortal lifetimes."

"If that's really what you want…" I mused as I activated **Akashic Sight** once more, both to see her Lines of Death and to get the maximum amount of data from her spear so I may use a **Traced** version of it as a Catalyst in the future "…then I shall oblige." I finished with a slash along one of her Lines of Death, cutting her all the way through from right shoulder to left hip.

"Thank you." Scathach smiled as she faded away, her mind returning to the Throne of Heroes while the prana that made up her Servant body being absorbed by the Lesser Grail in my pocket. I promptly stored it and the one containing Berserker Dracula into my Inventory before approaching the still frozen Ciel. Despite being unable to move a muscle due to the overpowered **Ατλας** I had placed her under, she could still watch what was before her eyes as well as listen. "Hi. Been a while, hasn't it?" I asked pleasantly.

I got a death-glare in return.

"Hmph, it seems that even as a mortal, your attitude didn't change." I huffed. "Then again, what should I expect from a woman of the Church? Those pesky oaths you take prevent you from losing that pole stuck up your ass via getting laid like regular people." By now I was smiling brightly from the killing intent. "Then again, whom would you sleep with? You were, after all, too cowardly to approach Shiki even before he started boinking his adoptive sister and maids." I commented with disappointment. "Shame, he had a crush on you, you know? Think of all the lost opportunities…" I trailed off before chucking and ending the **Ατλας**.

"You bastard." Ciel hissed, flushed with humiliation.

"…You know, I can't actually deny that given that I don't remember if it's true or not myself." I grumbled even as I casually reached up and caught one of the **Black Keys** sent my way and using it to cut apart – thanks to **Akashic Sight** letting me see those convenient Lines of Death – all the others she threw at me. "You do realize that if I was able to overpower Scathach of all people, you don't have a chance, right?" I deadpanned.

"Tsk, what are you doing here?" Ciel demanded.

"I live here. And due to that, I was also drawn into the Grail War. Speaking of, I'll be taking those Command Spells off you." I eyed her left hand. "I didn't bother with the Alchemist since I saw she had used her up, probably to keep her Berserker in line and alive against Scathach. But you won't be needing those."

"I'll be handing them over to the Supervisor from the Church." Ciel snapped back.

"Oh, you're not referring to Kotomine Kirei, are you?" I arched an eyebrow un amusement.

"What of it?" Ciel demanded.

"He's not the Supervisor of anything anymore. He was killed for harboring a Servant from the Fourth Grail War and using a few kidnapped orphans as prana sources to power him. The Grail summoned a Ruler Class Servant to act as an actual Impartial Judge." I explained.

"You're lying." Ciel glared.

"You can check the basement of the church, I doubt anyone bothered to do any cleanup yet. And Ruler might be there as well." I shrugged. "Either way…" a few discretely **Traced** **Black Keys** appeared behind her and pined down her shadow, trapping her once more "…I'll be taking these." I grabbed the hand with the Command Spells and transferred them to myself. "Now, as I told the now former vampire alchemist. Get out of my city." I turned on my heel and left, dismissing the **Black Keys** pinning her once I was out of her line of sight, followed by slipping into an Empty ID as I headed home. _"Any reason you did not show yourself, Nero?"_ I inquired to the Saber who had arrived shortly after me and had chosen to remain Astralized.

" _I could see there was no need, Praetor."_ Nero admitted. _"So, instead, I kept an eye out for anyone else approaching, but there were none."_

" _Good work."_ I smiled. _"I was a bit distracted to pay attention myself."_ I admitted before glancing at the newest notice windows.

 **You have killed Servant Lancer, the Witch of Dun Scaith, Scathach! +90.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 436 Next Level: 60,5%**

 **HP: 767.311,25/ 767.311,25**

 **MP: ,0625/** **,0625**

 **HPR: 3076,845% per min**

 **MPR: 3635,095% per min**

 **STR: 13.081,6**

 **VIT: 30.668,45**

 **DEX: 13.873,65**

 **INT: 34.114,05**

 **WIS: 34.150,95**

 **LUCK: 9541,1**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2175**

 **Money: ¥**


	14. Chapter 14

"So, I guess that only leaves Rider and Caster. Edelfelt and her Achilles and whoever the last Master and Servant are." I commented the day after my fight with Arcueid, Ciel and their Servants, during lunchtime even as I tried to ignore how Arcueid was beating – okay, obliterating – Taiga's record on how much food a person could stuff in their mouths in the span of two ten seconds.

"The last Master we know nothing about." Tamamo pointed out with some frustration.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. By elimination, the last Servant is a Caster to it's only natural they would be more capable of shielding from scrying than all the others so far." I told the fox-girl.

"Hm, oh that?" Arcueid spoke up. "Blue-chan said she'll be a little late. Something about needing some more preparation if I'm going to be an opponent." The Dual-Type shrugged.

"…By 'Blue', you mean Aozaki Aoko, don't you?" Illya asked with dread after a pregnant pause.

"Yep." Arcueid cheerfully confirmed. "Funny thing, though… her servant looked a lot like you, only wearing one of those magical girl dresses gramps keeps trying to make me wear." She mused.

"…Fuck my life." I promptly slammed my forehead into the table. _"Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya? Really? Hax! I call hax!"_

"Onii-chan?" Illya stared in surprise.

"Is it that bad, Shirou?" Sakura asked in worry.

"…I'm sure you have noticed that Servant versions of people we are closely acquainted with, such as Shiki, or even ourselves, are pretty damn badass." I began.

"Naturally. The Praetor's companions can only be glorious to reflect his own magnificence." Nero bobbed her head.

"…Right." I shrugged. "Well, just like our Illya, that one holds a portion of the Third Magic, **Heaven's Feel** , from birth. She is equipped with a powerful Mystic Code that allows her to draw on the nigh-infinite power of the Second Magic, **Kaleidoscope**. And her Master is the Magician of the Fifth Magic, **Magic Blue**. You can see where I'm going with this, right?"

"Yes… she has a lot of versatility and being a Caster, she can make the most use of it." Sakura frowned thoughtfully.

"It gets worse." I smiled mirthlessly. "She's a Class Card wielder. She has one for each Class, at the very least."

"How do you know all this, Onii-chan?" Illya asked suspiciously.

"I've dabbled in the **Kaleidoscope** somewhat." I said nonchalantly, unwilling to admit with Arcueid, Zelretch's adoptive granddaughter, present that I'm just one step away from becoming a Magician of the Second Magic.

"Do you happen to know which Cards?" Sakura inquired.

"Not really." I admitted. Outside of seeing the anime and reading the manga before becoming Emiya Shirou, I had indeed used the **Kaleidoscope** to peer into those worlds while training with the Second Magic, and the Class Cards tended to vary sporadically given that the Ainsworth never really knew which Hero they were binding to a Card until the finally got lucky and anchored it properly.

"So, we'll have to face off against a True Magician and a Servant that can switch to a different Class and set of abilities if she finds it dangerous depending on who she's fighting." Sakura sighed. "Lovely."

"Actually, you'll also be facing Luviagelita Edelfelt and her Rider as well. They have entered into an alliance once they've heard how dangerous your and Shiro-kun's alliance is."

I closed my eyes, counted up to ten, and then opened them and turned around to look at BB who was smiling smugly despite everyone except me and Arcueid pointing a weapon at her.

"Ho, so this is what you meant concerning Servant counterparts." The Dual-Type hummed. "Her boobs are bigger, though."

"Thank you for noticing." BB smiled in appreciation.

"Should I feel shaken and violated that you've broken into my home and shattered my sense of security?" I asked tiredly.

"Well, given that you were the one doing the violating the last time I was here, it's only fair." BB shrugged.

"Funny, I remember you begin exceptionally willing. Outright demanding, even." I deadpanned.

"Details." BB waved it off.

"So, you would not happen to know how they even heard about mine and Sakura's alliance, do you?" I inquired.

"Well, Edelfelt got a few hints from Tohsaka, so, being the kind and generous Overseer that I am, told them you two got Saber, Lancer and Caster under your command." BB smiled.

"And you did this why? Other than amusement at making my life harder, that is." I closed my eyes and sighed in frustration.

"It would insure this Grail War ends sooner. This time period bores me." BB huffed.

"…Well, I can't say that's entirely a bad thing." I admitted. "If it was up to me, this Grail war would have ended already."

"Either way, it looks like the Grail War is ending tonight." Sakura commented. "Or do you need more time to make some preparations?" she eyed me.

"No, I'm good. Like I said, I was ready the night we took out Gilgamesh." I assured her. "But, with Edelfelt and the Blue working together, I'll need you to help me tonight. I can handle Aozaki on my own, and Nero, Tamamo and Karna should be able to handle Caster Illya and Rider Achilles, but I need you to keep Edelfelt busy and preferably too distracted to support her Servant with Command Spells. I may be wrong, but a Command Spell may be powerful enough to restore Achilles' invulnerability even after he gets hit in the heel."

"Yes, that's something we need to avoid." Sakura agreed.

"What about me?" Illya frowned "I'm not staying back here again!"

"Hm, Arcueid, since you're probably coming to watch the fights, can you look after Illya and make sure she's not taken hostage or something?" I asked the blonde. "Aozaki does not seem the type and neither does Edelfelt, but the Edelfelt Family tends to take more assassination contracts then I'm comfortable with."

"Sure." Arcueid shrugged.

"Ano, Onii-chan? Do you think we can drop by the Einzbern caster in the outskirts of Fuyuki sometime soon?" Illya asked hesitantly. "My maids, Sella and Leysritt, are probably worried since I never went back… and they might do something… rash." She admitted before adding with a grimace. "That, and they've probably already contacted the Einzbern back in Germany."

"I expected as much." I shrugged. "But, given that I've already gotten rid of all their failsafes and control methods within you, you have little to worry about. The worst they can do right now is send an army of Homunculi after us and try to stir trouble at the Clock Tower. However, if everything goes well tonight, we will have little to worry about from the Mages Association."

"Plus, do you really think that an army of Homunculi would pose a threat to us?" Sakura asked in wry amusement.

"Fair point." Illya admitted as she looked at me.

"We can drop by the castle tomorrow after we've seen to our priorities." I decided. "Until tonight, though, let's hit the Dungeons and do some grinding, hm?" I suggested.

"You have dungeons here?" Arcueid asked in surprise. "Oh, they must be the kinky king if you want to grind." She grinned.

"…"

 _Timeskip – that evening_

"Okay, that's enough!" I called out as I watched the Boss of the **Oni Kind ID** (levels 351-400), Ibaraki Douji, get slain for the tenth time since we've started clearing this dungeon, having reset the ID just as many times.

Originally, my intention had been for my team of Masters, current and former, and Servants to tackle the **Corruption ID** , however, with the addition of Arcueid I had deemed it safe enough for us to skip the LV 301-350 **Corruption ID** for the next higher leveled one, the **Oni Kind ID**. And the results spoke for themselves.

 **You have killed the Oni Kind Boss, Ibaraki Douji! +150.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **You have increased in level by 1.**

 **+5 STR.**

 **+3 VIT.**

 **+6 DEX.**

 **+1 INT.**

 **+2 WIS.**

 **+1 LUCK.**

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 505 Next Level: 72,3%**

 **HP: 776.887,5/ 776.887,5**

 **MP:** **,375** **/** **,375**

 **HPR: 3105,15% per min**

 **MPR: 3651,7% per min**

 **STR: 13.322,5**

 **VIT: 31.051,5**

 **DEX: 14.125,5**

 **INT: 34.255,5**

 **WIS: 34.317**

 **LUCK: 9599,5**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2520**

 **Money: ¥**

Nodding in satisfaction at my progress – which I partially had Arcueid to thank for since without her it would have taken me far longer to clear this ID even just once, never mind 10 times in a row – I glanced at my party members and took in their own progress.

 **Name: Illyasviel von Einzbern**

 **Class: Justeaze Model Homunculus**

 **Title:** **Einzbern's White Holy Grail**

 **Age: 18**

 **Level: 140 Next Level: 10%**

 **HP: 3900/ 3900**

 **MP: 65.417.710,5/ 95.453.767,5**

 **HPR: 23,2% per min**

 **MPR: 90,818% per min**

 **STR: 71,3**

 **VIT: 132**

 **DEX: 96,6**

 **INT: 663**

 **WIS: 208,18**

 **LUCK: 93,15**

 **Point: 375**

 **Money: 206.489.000¥**

 **Name: Matou Sakura**

 **Class: The Hollow Shadow**

 **Title: Shadow Princess**

 **Age: 16**

 **Level: 209 Next Level: 2,8%**

 **HP: 203.435/ 203.435**

 **MP: /**

 **HPR: 821,34% per min**

 **MPR: 801,055% per min**

 **STR: 3614,6**

 **VIT: 8113,4**

 **DEX: 3503,3**

 **INT: 9054**

 **WIS: 7400,55**

 **LUCK: 3651,7**

 **Elemental Affinity: Hollow (Imaginary Numbers), Water**

 **Origin: Hollow**

 **Point: 375**

 **Money: 452.846.000¥**

 **Name: Karna**

 **Class: Lancer**

 **Title: Hero of Charity, Son of the Sun God**

 **Level: 401 Next Level: 19,45%**

 **HP: 811.330,8/ 811.330,8**

 **MP: 66.000.000/ 70.000.000**

 **HPR: 871% per min**

 **MPR: 275,5% per min**

 **STR: 7410,75**

 **VIT: 8.610**

 **DEX: 8.610**

 **INT: 1.750**

 **WIS: 2.555**

 **LUCK: 8.640**

 **Name: Tamamo no Mae**

 **Class: Caster**

 **Title: Nine Tailed Fox, Avatar of Amaterasu**

 **Level: 400 Next Level: 0,9%**

 **HP: 302.415/ 302.415**

 **MP: 210.000.000/ 210.000.000**

 **HPR: 625% per min**

 **MPR: 1742% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 6150**

 **DEX: 2.555**

 **INT: 16.800**

 **WIS: 17.220**

 **LUCK: 8.610**

 **Name: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus**

 **Class: Saber**

 **Title: Emperor of Roses, Beast of Babylon**

 **Level: 400 Next Level: 41,7%**

 **HP: 276.175/ 276.175**

 **MP: 140.000.000/ 140.000.000**

 **HPR: 625% per min**

 **MPR: 275,5% per min**

 **STR: 2.555**

 **VIT: 6150**

 **DEX: 8.610**

 **INT: 1.750**

 **WIS: 2.555**

 **LUCK: 8.610**

" _Yes, this should be enough to handle even the likes of the Blue."_ I nodded to myself. "Okay, everyone, take a breather and then we're heading straight to fight the remaining Masters and Servants." I called out.

"You know…" Arcueid spoke up as she approached me with a distinct pout. "I'm not sure just what trick you're using, but it's totally unfair how you can help people grow stronger so quickly. Not to mention yourself."

"As unfair as you being able to receive **Backup** from both **Earth** and **Moon** to overpower your opponent?" I shot back.

"Yes, when you can do the same thing." Arcueid huffed.

"Just one at a time." I reminded her.

"Which you still haven't explained how." Arcueid pouted.

"Hasn't Zelretch told you?" I grinned. "I'm a Faker." With that I ended that line of discussion.

Less then an hour later, we were heading straight towards Luviagelita Edelfelt's location, knowing that both her Servant and her ally had to be somewhere nearby.

As we were largely expecting, as soon as we got close spell bombardment greeted us, specifically Medea's signature **Rain of Light** spell, informing me that the Medea Caster Class Card was among the Class Cards at Caster Illya's disposal.

Thankfully, we were at no risk, what with all of those present being in some way invulnerable. Even so, Sakura knew better than to allow the enemy to find this out so soon, so a wall of shadow ribbons blocked the **Rain of Light** and completely absorbed it.

"Gah! **Imaginary Numbers**! Kuro warned me about this!" the familiar voice of Illya was heard, only seemingly more childish.

" _No wonder, this Illya really is as old as she looks."_ I grimaced slightly before shaking my head. "Lancer, Caster, make it quick. I don't want her to suffer needlessly." I instructed before hurrying off with Sakura and Nero.

A couple minutes later, we found a pacing Luviagelita Edelfelt with Aozaki Aoko leaning against a wall nearby, both of them immediately turning towards the new arrivals.

"Hoh, you made good time." Aoko commented. "I've expected Caster-chan to hold you off a while longer."

"We've lever a couple Servants to fight her." I calmly replied.

"Two? Don't tell me you got scared of a little girl?" Luviagelita taunted.

"Given that little girl can take upon herself the powers of at least Seven Heroic Spirits, one for each class, I though it was only common sense." I shrugged. "Besides, she's my little sister, even if from another world. She's bound to be awesome."

"Well said." Aoko smiled. "But even with two on one, I don't see your Servants winning."

"Let's just say that Edelfelt's Achilles is far from the only Servant possessing Invulnerability of some kind to be summoned in this Grail War." I smirked. "Speaking of which, where _is_ Rider? Sneaking around is Odysseus's shtick."

"Good point." Achilles said in agreement as he materialized in front of his Master, twirling his spear. "Since you know who I am, may I have the name of the one who believes to be able to best me?" he eyed Nero.

"Praetor?" Nero eyed me.

"Your fight, your choice, Saber." I shrugged.

"Very well! I am Nero Claudius, Fifth Emperor of Rome!" Saber declared grandly.

"Hoh, an Emperor, eh?" Rider grinned. "Well, let's see if standing on a throne and giving orders is all you can do, _your highness_." He taunted

" **ID Create!"** I said quickly, managing to pull both those present, as well as Karna, Nero, Arcueid and both Illya into the Illusion Barrier using the Master-Servant bond and Party bond as a medium to reach that far.

Just in time, too, as moments before Achilles finished his taunt, Nero had all but teleported within his guard and hit him with her sword hard enough to send him crashing through a few dozen buildings before skidding to a stop.

"Hm, I do believe I'll manage." Nero smiled predatorily as she hurried after her prey.

"H-How…?!" Luvia gaped.

"Nero's awesomeness is not what you should be focusing on, Luviagelita Edelfelt." I advised without so much as a glance her way, too busy with the mutual stare-down I had with Aoko.

Luvia blinked and jumped away just in time to avoid the shadow ribbons that were about to ensnare her.

"Mou, was that really necessary, Shirou?" Sakura pouted. "I almost had her."

"You're not fooling anyone." I scoffed. "I know exactly how much you like playing with your food." I reminded her. "Anyway, please take your fight somewhere else. Things are about to get rather heated here."

"Right." Sakura nodded even as she drew a ruby from within the shadows and chucked it at Edelfelt, causing an explosion that blasted the blonde away with the last Matou in quick pursuit.

"And then there was one." I commented.

"Hoh… you know, most people are not that confident when facing a True Magician." Aoko tilted her head curiously. "Hell, most run away from me screaming. Even the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors tend to avoid confrontation with me."

"Tell me, do you know where Zelretch attained the **Kaleidoscope**?" I shot back with a smile.

"Hm?" the redhead blinked at the abrupt change of subject. "Not really, no. Somewhere in Germany, I assume."

"Nobody other then him actually knows." I confided. "Do you know why?"

"…No." Aoko was not gazing at me suspiciously.

"Because he has personally erased all traces of the location, silenced everyone who _might_ have known and rearranged the very landscape to mask it. To hide the now closed **Gate** he has used to activate the **Kaleidoscope** for the first time." I told her.

"Why?" Aoko frowned. That did not sound at all like the flippant and trollish Zelretch she knew.

"For the same reason you should have done the same with the Misaki **Gate**." I smiled pleasantly.

The Magician of the Fifth Magic felt a shiver go down her spine.

"While it's true that while closed a **Gate** cannot open again, it does not mean that there is nothing to be learn from it. Quite the opposite. After all, in order for the **Gate** to connect to the right portion of Akasha and activate the Magic, the portion of the Magic already known must be…"

"Inserted into the **Gate** like a key." Aoko whispered, her face tightening.

"Yep." I smiled pleasantly. "You see, while you are feared as a True Magician, few people actually know anything of what **Magic Blue** is about, and those that do believe it's tied to Time Travel."

"Something tells me you are not among those people." Aoko twitched

"Quite. Time Manipulation may be a portion of **Magic Blue** , but only that, a portion. Isn't that right, Miss Operator of the Vertical Space-Time Axis?" I smirked.

Aoko merely narrowed her eyes further.

"It's not that shocking, you know." I chided. "Someone had to figure it out. If the Horizontal or X Axis has an Operator in Zelretch, naturally the Vertical or Y Axis must have one as well. Balance demands it, after all. Especially after the Operation of the Z Axis was lost over a millennium ago to the Einzbern."

"The Einzbern… no way, the **Heaven's Feel**?" Aoko asked in surprise.

"Indeed. Normally, you would be aware of this… but you were in a rush when you activated your Magic. Not that I blame you, that Counter Guardian can be troublesome even in the best circumstances." I snorted.

"…Alright, just who the hell are you?" Aoko demanded angrily, finally losing her patience. "I have told **nobody** about how close I came to being caught by the Counter Guardians!"

"How could I _not_ know?" I smiled faintly. "He is, after all, my future counterpart from a parallel world."

"What?" Aoko seemed taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes. In fact, had you been here a few days ago, you would have met him again. Though this time it would not have been in his capacity of a Counter Guardian, but rather as Tohsaka Rin's Archer Class Servant." I informed her.

"That's… I suppose Counter Guardians _are_ technically Heroic Spirits…" the redhead mused.

"He spent his life following the childish ideal his father instilled in him, to be a Hero of Justice that saved everyone… and when Alaya made him the offer to continue protecting humanity even after his death, he jumped at it." I shook my head. "It broke him, being forced to slaughter men, women and children, countless innocents who were merely unlucky enough to be at the scene Alaya wanted erased. Now, all he looks forward to is being summoned during Grail Wars in the hope that he'll get lucky and kill his past self, creating a paradox that will erase him from existence." I shook my head. "Foolish of him, given that he had spent enough time around Zelretch to know he would merely be diverging a timeline, but that's what desperation does to a man, I suppose."

"So, he tried to kill you." Aoko concluded.

"I didn't give him the chance. I recognized him as a Counter Guardian the moment I laid eyes on him, our souls being near identical does that, and I quite literally ripped his heart out. Given that the ultimate purpose of the Grail War was to open a **Gate** to Akasha, I don't need to explain to you of all people why I don't want a Counter Guardian around longer then strictly necessary, if at all." I shrugged.

"Was?" Aoko caught on. "You mean, the purpose has changed?"

"Since the Einzbern messed with the Grail System in their attempt to cheat in the Third Grail War." I sighed. "They introduced and eight Class, Avenger, and tried to summon a Divine Spirit instead of a Heroic one, Angra Mainyu. They succeeded but did not know it since they were ignorant of Angra Mainyu's origins, that of an ordinary human villager who was ritualistically tortured and forced to shoulder All the World's Evil by his fellow man, becoming the Zoroastrian God of Darkness only in death. Which was what happened in the Third Grail War. He was barely above human ability as Servant Avenger, but when he died he became a God of Evil… within the Grail. Since then, the Grail System was tainted allowing for darker and even evil Servants to be summoned, and any wish made on the Grail should it be completed would be tainted. For example, Emiya Kiritsugu, my adoptive father, wanted world peace. The tainted Grail showed him how it would grant that wish: the extinction of all life on Earth. It's why he had his Servant Saber blast the Grail to pieces, and even then Angra Mainyu still managed to pour a few hundred thousand materialized curses and cause the Great Fuyuki Fire."

"So… you don't care about winning the Grail War, do you?" Aoko concluded.

"Not even slightly." I admitted.

"Then why are we fighting?" Aoko frowned.

"For one thing, Edelfelt would not accept my word as face value, nor would almost any magus when a way to reach Akasha was at stake, regardless of how much it would cost the world as a whole." I deadpanned.

"And I?" Aoko pointed out.

"You… I have no problem with. Your Caster, however, needs to die." I said quietly.

"Hoh? You want to kill little…" Aoko began in annoyance.

"I do not **want** to kill my little sister, thank you very much, even if she's just Illya's counterpart from a parallel world." I snapped at her.

"…Then why?" Aoko asked after a long pause.

"Because, just like this world's Illya, she was modified to be a Holy Grail from before birth, while she was still in her mother's womb. Because, _unlike_ this world's Illya, her function as a Holy Grail cannot be removed or altered due to the static nature of Heroic Spirits. Because Angra Mainyu _allowed_ her to be summoned by you only after I had disabled all the other Lesser Grails. Because Angra Mainyu needs a complete Holy Grail to be born into this world." I listed quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.

"I could…" Aoko began.

"No, you can't. She's already connected to the Grail System and Angra Mainyu just by being summoned via it." I cut her off.

"You don't know…" Aoko accused.

"I know enough." I uttered. "Like I said, I know as much on could about the **Magic Blue** without actually being its Master."

"I don't have time for this. Nor do I need your permission." Aoko growled as she powered up, magic circles manifesting around her along with numerous magic missiles. "Move."

"You remember how our little discussion started, don't you?" I smiled slightly. "How you were trying to intimidate me with how even Dead Apostle Ancestors don't want to fight you?"

"What of it?" Aoko summoned even more magic missiles.

"Unlike them, I am not as intimidated by your position as True Magician. Because unlike all the others, I know the **Magic Blue** is still in its infancy, barely two generations old. And that it is a Magic that starts weak and it is meant to grow with each generation." I tilted my head when Aoko stiffened. "And, to even come close to comparing in power to the others, it would require at least Ten Generations… _which you currently lack_."

The magic missiles were fired and Aoko did not waste time waiting to see if they had hit, instead heading towards where her Caster was battling Shirou's own Caster and Sakura's Lancer… only to stop in her tracks when everything right in front of her, for about twenty meters, exploded in flashes of light, leaving behind a huge trench.

"Really, did I appear to be so easily distracted?" I asked her as I walked out of the cloud of smoke, not a scratch on me. Why would there be? With my level of Magic Resistance, she might as well be throwing plain air at me. I merely had to avoid the rubble created from the missiles hitting the asphalt around me.

"Fine, I'll take you out first!" Aoko decided as her surroundings filled with magic circles disgorging magic missiles, not too dissimilar from Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.

" **Utopia of Victory."** I uttered and immediately began drawing upon the World's lights, thousands upon hundreds of thousands of motes of light manifesting all around us and flying to attach themselves to me, giving me a golden glow. I would not need the protection against her magic missiles, but I could perceive a few ways for her to bypass the protection of Fafnir's Blood I had taken upon by skin using her **Magic Blue** , so another layer of protection would not hurt.

Her following barrage of magic missiles was not more effective then the first, so she opted for a more physical approach, using her Magic-enhanced speed to blur into my guard and… freeze when I caught the punch she aimed at my face with ease. The following kick to the gut that would have torn a normal magus in two knocked her out of her shocked state, still mostly unharmed due to instinctively using her Magic to divert the damage.

I was not going to stand and take her attacks, though, even if I only technically needed to stall her.

" **Drilling Holy Lances."** I uttered and the whole space around me was filled with my current preferred attack spell. Unlike my old **Drilling Exorcism Swords** which were mana constructs infused with the exorcizing properties of **Black Keys** , the **Drilling Holy Lances** were in fact near copies of Artoria Pendragon's own Holy Lance, **Rhongomyniad** , in its released state where it became the same light as the Holy Lance Longinus that pierced the Messiah around the 1st Century AD, the 'spear of the end', the light of destruction coming down from the heavens.

Each and every one of them were equal to an A++ rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.

And I had just summoned forth hundreds of them.

Aoko merely had time to widen her eyes before the Illusion Barrier was bathed in golden light as 45% of this copy of Fuyuki City was destroyed, a good 15% being vaporized on the spot.

I was fine. Sakura and our three Servants were also fine due to their own respective invulnerability attributes. Luviagelita Edelfelt as was also fine, having been defeated by Sakura and imprisoned into one of her imaginary pocket dimensions. The Rider, Achilles, I had felt the death of earlier, his power now stored in one of the Lesser Grails I carried on my person. Surprisingly, the Caster Illya was still alive, making me wonder if she had been using the Berserker Heracles Class Card at the time. It's resurrection powers would certainly be enough to allow her to survive.

Aoko, on the other hand, was not fine. Oh, she _looked_ unharmed, not a scratch on her, but the way she was breathing so heavily told me just how close it had been.

"Is that your best shot?" the redhead taunted.

" _She did not just say that."_ My eye twitched. "You know, given who and what you are, I would have thought you know better than to tempt fate." I gave her a polite smile.

One that chilled her to the bone.

" **Heaven's Pillar."** I uttered in a tone of finality.

The Holy Lance of King Arthur, **Rhongomyniad** , was said to be merely a shadow of its true form, a tower that fastens the outer layer of the World onto the planet. The Holy Lance Rhongomyniad makes that tower, a 'pillar of light', as its main body, existing to ensure the World's stability. The **Tower of Avalon**.

And, while my **Drilling Holy Lances** were replicas of **Rhongomyniad** the Lance, **Heaven's Pillar** was a replica – as I pictured it, at least – of its true form, the Tower.

As I uttered the words, Heaven and Earth were connected for just one second by a pillar of golden light, about 10 meters thick which was as thin as I could make it. Then, it faded leaving behind a kneeling and panting Aozaki Aoko deep within the ten-mile-deep shaft carved into the world in the blink of an eye.

Even as I jumped down to face her, I felt another Lesser Grail fill.

" _It's done, Goshujin-sama."_ Tamamo informed me.

" _I see… thank you. Join up with Sakura and Nero, will you? I won't be long."_ I told her even as I leisurely fell, using flight spell from the Age of the Gods learnt from the Medea Caster Class Card to not drop as fast as I should.

I soon landed a few feet away from Aoko who had managed to regain some composure.

"Do you yield? I know you've felt Illya fading." I told her quietly.

"It's not fair. She was just a little girl." Aoko said just as quietly.

"I know. Still, you should be happy for her. Her life was mostly pleasant unlike her counterpart in this world. And unlike my Illya, she certainly was not cut upon on a frequent basis by the Einzbern for a decade to make her a better sacrifice to materialize the Grail." I told her. "She had a happy childhood with her parents and even her foray into the supernatural world was not horrible as one would expect in this day and age. Rather, it was like something out of a magical girl manga." I snorted.

"Not surprising, given Zelretch's influence." Aoko agreed. "Fine, you win. I give up."

 **You have defeated the Magician of the Fifth True Magic, The Blue, Aozaki Aoko! +200.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**


	15. Chapter 15

"I have to ask… just… how in the world did you get so strong in such a short amount of time." Aoko asked with a frown even as I relieved her of her Command Spells. "It's unnatural. I mean, I saw you were already a high-level magus, two years ago, and could tell you have some very potent mysteries… but this is unreal." She gestured at the devastation around us.

"Hm, let me put it this way." I smiled wanly. "This dimension we are currently in is separate from Gaia. It's somewhere between World and the Reverse Side of the World. And I've learnt to alter the flow of time in here."

"You… exactly how old are you, really?" Aoko whispered in shock.

"Older than you and younger then Zelretch. That's all I can say for certain. I decided it was best not to keep count." I shrugged. _"But, in the end, the time dilations effect of my IDs was nowhere near enough."_ I mentally frowned as I remembered hitting a plateau, where grinding was no longer feasible due to the diminishing returns. After all, there was only so much I could read, study and think things through to increase my INT and WIS before I ran out of material. Similarly, I ended up being left without further more difficult means of physical training to increase my STR, VIT and DEX via grinding.

That was where Zelretch's **Kaleidoscope** truly came to the rescue. By reaching into other worlds different than this one, I found more advanced study material and physical exercises meant for powerful nonhuman beings, allowing me to finally begin to grin my stats once more. Even so, there had only been so much I could do in the short time I had available before the Grail War started, so while I was confident in my ability to see it through, it was far from how strong I _could_ have been had I thought of reaching out for new means in other worlds sooner.

" _Oh well, I can step up my training later."_ Mentally shrugged. While my goals for after the Grail War were set, it was not like I was on a time limit or anything.

"That's… pretty sad. Living your life like that." Aoko frowned.

"Mm, it's not that bad. Once I'm at a level I'm satisfied with, I can kick back and relax without worrying about someone like from the Mages Association, the Church or the 27 DAA showing up and ruining my life." I shrugged. "And it's not like training is all I used the time dilation for." I looked towards Sakura with a lewd grin.

"Heh." The redhead shook her head.

"Speaking of which, you seem to have missed your window of opportunity with Shiki, miss 'Reverse Hikari Genji'." I told the Magician with a smirk.

"I… have no idea what you're talking about." Aoko looked away with a flush.

"Of course, you don't." I smiled condescendingly.

"So… what now?" Aoko changed the subject. "You've won. Your little alliance's Servants are the only ones left in the War. Will you have them fight each-other now?"

"What for?" I arched an eyebrow. "There is no prize, there is no need for there to be only one Servant left standing. We only took out the rest to deprive Angra Mainyu of the energy normally used to materialize the Grail that would be harvested from the Servants."

"So, what will you do?" the redhead tilted her head.

"Get rid of Angra Mainyu and the Grail System as well." I said simply. **"ID Escape."** I uttered softly and returned everyone back to the real world. "Sakura, please send Edelfelt back to our place. Dragging her with us where we're going would be a chore." I requested.

Nodding in understanding, Sakura simple dropped Luvia into a shadow which she used as a portal to send the busty blonde straight to our Workshop. We still had to copy her Magic Crest later, after all.

"Time to go end this." I turned my gaze towards Ryuudou Temple… or rather, the mountain it was on.

 _Ten no Sakazuki_

"This place feels vile." Nero scowled as she gazed around the huge cavern that was about 3 kilometers in diameter.

"Well, given what's in it, should you be surprised?" BB pointed out dryly.

She had been waiting for us at the entrance of the cavern, having expected us to come to this place to settle things with Angra Mainyu. However, only Sakura and I along with our Servants were allowed entry and no matter or whining and begging on Illya's part convinced the Ruler to make an exception for her, forcing the albino to return to the Emiya Residence along with Arcueid while Aoko took her leave as well.

"Time to get this over with." I sighed as I **Traced** a copy of the **Jeweled Sword** of Zelretch and stabbed it into the magic circle carved into the ground before activating it, flooding the Grail System with prana drawn from parallel worlds, all but instantly materializing the monstrosity that had become the Greater Grail, a humongous dark read fleshy urn filled with malice.

" **He… hehe… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"** a booming malicious voice was heard from within the abomination before us even as I dismissed the **Jeweled Sword** back into prana. **"I was actually beginning to worry that I would have to wait for another Grail War, but here you are, hastening my return! Witness the beginning of the end for…!"**

"You talk too much." I rolled my eyes. **"ID Create."** I uttered, drawing everyone around me, the materialized Greater Grail and the Grail System it sat upon included, into an empty Illusion Barrier. And by empty, one was to understand that there was absolutely nothing there beyond an endless flat ground upon which we now stood.

" **What is…?!"** Angra Mainyu, for who else could it be, began.

"I said, shut up." I cut it off even as I flared my power to the max and channeled it repeatedly through my **Summoning** and **Solomon's Ring** Skills, 72 times, always making sure use twice as much power in the leash that was **Solomon's Ring** in order to overwhelm whatever resistance the beings **Summoning** brought forth. **"Focalor, Furfur, Halphas, Malphas, Marchosias, Phenex, Raum, Stolas, Vepar, Aim, Bathin, Botis, Ipos, Morax, Naberius, Purson, Saleos, Zepar, Barbatos, Beleth, Buer, Caim, Eligos, Gusion, Leraje, Paimon, Sitri, Amy, Andromalius, Belial, Dantalion, Decarabia, Gremory, Murmur, Ose, Seere, Balam, Bifrons, Crocell, Furcas, Haagenti, Sabnock, Shax, Uvall, Vine, Amdusias, Andras, Andrealphus, Flauros, Kimaris, Orias, Valac, Vapula, Zagan, Asmodeus, Astaroth, Berith, Bune, Foras, Forneus, Gaap, Glasya-Labolas, Ronove, Aamon, Agares, Allocer, Gamigin, Malephar, Marbas, Orobas, Vassago, Baal!"** I called out in quick succession, making use of my **High-Speed Incantation** skill to bright forth all 72 **Demon God Pillars** in the span of merely 8 seconds, all already arranged in the formation I needed them in. _**"Demon God Pillars of the Nine Circles of Hell, Harvest this Evil!"**_ I lastly incanted slowly, backing each and every worth with the full weight of my MP, repeatedly fully draining and recovering it as I spoke.

" **WHAT?!"** Angra Mainyu roared in anger and a hint of panic. **"WHAT IS THISSS?!"**

I did not bother answering, instead focusing my attention at the 72 humongous monstrosities arranged in a spiral with the corrupted Greater Grail at its core that began sucking the power out of it, curses and all. It was, however, not something instant. It required time.

" _Just over half hour."_ I reminded myself with a grimace.

" **I WILL NOT ALOW THIS! I. WILL. NOT. ALLOW. THIS!"** with every worth it stressed out, portions of the Greater Grail were torn and spat out onto the ground, forming a black stain within which a crimson Servant Summoning Circle glowed crimson for few moments as it sucked the black mud and reshaped it into a humanoid form. Five new Servants came forth, all tainted by Angra Mainyu's corruption. **"KILL THEM ALL!"**

" _Shit! Shit! Shit!"_ I mentally swore as I took in the five Alter-Type Servants. _"Artoria Pendragon Alter, Saber. EMIYA Alter, Archer. Cu Chulainn Alter, Berserker. Alcides/Heracles Alter, Archer. And fucking Jeanne d'Arc Alter, Avenger!"_ I quickly identified them. _"Of all the Servants this wretched thing could have called here, he just had to bring the Dragon Witch, didn't it?"_ I growled. "Lancer! The one with the banner! Saber! The one with the sword! Caster! The big one with the shroud on his face! Sakura! The one with the guns! I'll take the last one!" I quickly ordered even as I moved to engage the Berserker.

I wasted no time in bringing out my A-Game. This was not the time to play around. Not only were these Servants above average in power, but they were also vicious. And, worst of all, was the Dragon Witch. I did not know for sure, but I was 99% certain that she would be able to use her influence over dragons to at least seriously inconvenience those of us who had bather in Fafnir's blood, if not outright brainwash us. I was reasonably sure I could withstand it thanks to **Gamer's Mind** , but Sakura, Nero and Tamamo could not. Hence why I sent Karna, the only one of us who had not partaken to Fafnir's blood, to face her, given that he had an invulnerability of his own.

" **Drilling Holy Lances!"** I declared as I summoned forth a handful of the golden light spears right between Berserker Alter and I when we were just about to clash, causing a massive explosion that blasted the Servant of Madness apart, only for his now purified energy to be collected in one of the handful of Lesser Grails I had pulled out from my Inventory even as I continued skidding back from the blast wave of the explosion. _"One down."_ I smiled grimly even as I turned my attention to Sakura who was now resorting to dodging EMIYA Alter's bullets, a few bloodied wounds coloring her shirt red telling me that EMIYA was now using bullets that not only pieced magic defenses or outright nullified them, but also Dragon Slayer Bullets capable of bypassing the invulnerability grated by the dragon blood. **"Heaven's Pillar."** I snapped out, slamming a 50-meter-thick pillar of the light of destruction onto not just EMIYA Alter, but Alcides Alter as well who was close enough to him and firing arrow after poisoned arrow at Tamamo who was forced to keep blocking them with her mirror, without the chance to retaliate. Both Servants perished within seconds, not even Alcides' A ranked **Magic Resistance** being enough to withstand the continued pressure of a spell of that magnitude.

" **EX-!"** Saber Alter began to call out, drawing everyone's attention as tainted Mana surged and surrounded her black blade in a massive sheath of antilight **"CALIBUR MORGAN!"** she roared as she brought down the massive blade of energy not onto Nero, her opponent, but onto the momentarily distracted Sakura.

Thankfully, it was the worst king of attack one could use against my girlfriend. True, it was **Excalibur** , tainted or not. True, it was an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. However, it was still a blast of energy, energy that Sakura's shadows not only blocked, but proceeded to greedily devour, using it to accelerate their mistress's regeneration from EMIYA's bullets.

" **Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu on the Weight Stone under the Sunlit Watery Heavens!"** Tamamo all but snarled as she activated her Noble Phantasm. But, rather than use it to attack, she used it to greatly multiply Nero's own attack power even as the Roman Empress brought forth one of her own trump cards.

" **Fax Caelestis!"** Nero declared as she moved at unseen speeds and cut Saber Alter in two at the waist and then had her body engulfed in a pillar of flame, white-hot due to Tamamo's boost.

"Hm, what is this?" Jeanne Alter uttered as she took a long sniff in a lull of her battle with Karna. "I can smell it on you… the power of dragons!" she cackled and slammed her banner into the ground, sending forth a wave of tainted power.

"Shit." I swore as I felt it pull at my consciousness but thankfully without success, my **Gamer's Mind** skill warding off the outside influence. However… Nero, Tamamo and Sakura were not as lucky to have that skill. _"Is she gains control of Sakura, she also get Karna who is the only one among us without the dragon's power… Karna, that's it!"_ _"Karna! Transfer your armor to Sakura NOW! Before she's turned into a puppet!"_ I told the Lancer via our Party Telepathy.

" **O' Sun, Become Armor**!" The Indian Servant did not even bother responding, his armor breaking apart into motes of golden light that immediately went and settled onto Sakura, severing Avenger's influence over her. Unfortunately, I had to move to fend off against my own Servants who were turned against me.

"That… was a mistake." Karna told Jeanne Alter in a tone filled with cold fury, power exploding from him in the form of flames even as his spear transformed. **"O' Sun, Abide to Death! Vasavi Shakti!"** he called out unleashing a beam of all-devouring flame straight at Avenger.

" **Got you! La Grondement Du Haine!"** Jeanne Alter cackled as she met the beam of fiery death with her dark banner, causing flame to explode from all around her… and then rebound back at a shocked Karna who as instantly not only burnt to a crisp, but also impaled by jagged steel stakes carried within the tainted flames. "How do you like…?!" she never finished her question as her head was separated from her neck, just as the rest of her body was cut apart along the Lines of Death from the moment I got behind her while she was still in the process of reflecting Karna's attack back at him.

I did not bother wasting any words on her and merely pulled a few more Lesser Grails from my Inventory, collecting both her and Karna's powers, included the armor that faded from Sakura, as well as preparing to store Angra Mainyu's own power as well when the time came. I instead turned towards my own two Servants and reassured them that I was fine and that I had used my Command Spells to stop them and make them overcome Avenger's control before they could do any harm to me.

Once everyone had calmed down, including Sakura who was rather upset at the loss of her Servant, we turned our attention back towards the Greater Grail which had greatly decreased in both size and power, Angra Mainyu's once powerful and booming voice having been reduced to a pathetic screech that we proceeded to ignore.

The required 30 minutes soon wore off, leaving behind only the Grail System devoid of the taint that had plagued it for 70 years, while the source of that taint was standing before us shivering, Angra Mainyu having once more been forced into the form of a Servant Avenger.

"Y-You… What are you…?!" the weak Servant gasped out.

"Your death." I said simply as I **Traced** **Harpe** and promptly blurred behind him and beheaded the Avenger before watching carefully as the last dregs of its power were collected into a Lesser Grail. "Well done." I turned my attention to the waiting **Demon God Pillars**. "The result of the **Harvest**?" I demanded and they, one by one, each presented a dark red, near black crystal orb about the size of my head. With each crystal orb presented, I dismissed the **Demon God Pillar** in question, eventually leaving me with a pile of the crystal orbs at my feet. **"Observe."** I muttered.

 **Crystalized Evil: Crafting Item (Legendary). Contains a significant portion of humanity's pure, undiluted evil. Can be used in crafting all manner of demonic or cursed items.**

" _And I have 72 of them. Swell."_ I sighed even as I picked them up and stored them away into my Inventory along with the filled Lesser Grails. I then turned my attention to the Grail System itself. It no longer carried Angra Mainyu's taint, but I was 99% sure it was still broken or permanently warped from the prolonged exposure. _"No reason not to check to know for sure."_ I shrugged and activated **Akashic Sight** … and blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. "Okay… this was not what I was expecting." I muttered to myself in disbelief.

"Something wrong, Goshujin-sama?" Tamamo inquired.

"Is the Grail System giving your trouble?" Sakura remarked, the offer to let her shadows devour it whole not yet spoken but expected.

"No, nothing _wrong_ … just discovered something unexpected." I admitted. "Then again, I was never able to take a direct look at the Grail System because of the barrier. I'm not going to destroy it as I was originally planning, but rather repurpose it."

"Well, that's my cue to take my leave." BB said as she made her appearance again, having hidden in imaginary space as soon as I had used the **Jeweled Sword** to force the manifestation of the Greater Grail. "I would like to say that it's been fun, but outside the sex, it's all been rather boring for me." She shrugged as she broke apart into motes of prana which were collected into an empty Lesser Grail.

"…I had actually forgotten about her for a moment there." I admitted.

"So, what did you mean when you said you would repurpose the Grail System?" Sakura inquired.

"Hm, it's better if I just show you." I smiled mysteriously as I traced a simple knife and began cutting off the Lines of Death and with them certain corrupted portions of the Grail System. Then, when I was sure I had removed as much as feasibly without rendering the rest a mutilated mess, I took a certain Caster Class Card from my Inventory and activate my **Connection to the Root** , **Wishcraft** , **Alchemy** and **Heaven's Feel** Skills even as I grasped at the Grail System with one hand and _pulled_ while _pushing_ the Caster Class Card even as I surged a significant portion of prana through it.

The end result was one Irisviel von Einzbern, her body transmuted out of that of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern who had become the Core of the Grail System and whom she had replaced as the System's consciousness a decade prior, shaped by the pattern of her Heroic Spirit self within the Class Card, and stabilized by my power as an individual once more. I could tell right off the bat she was no longer quite the same as a decade ago, no matter how much of the experience I had tried to sever, something had to have remained.

" _Still, she is herself, not a parody tainted by Angra Mainyu. She's somewhat… changed, but nothing drastic as I've already gotten ridden of those portions. She'll just take some time to adapt to society to fit in."_ I told myself.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Irisviel was chanting as she jumped up and down while hugging me.

"You're welcome, Irisviel-san." I gave her a small smile. "I was more then happy to help." I assured her.

"Call me Mama." The albino woman gave me a wide smile.

"…Right." I chuckled a tad uncomfortably. "Well, let's get out of here. I have one last thing to do before we head home." I told the group. **"ID Escape."** I dismissed the Illusion Barrier and returned us to the now desolate Ten no Sakazuki which no longer had any traces of taint. I distanced myself from everyone and headed where the exact middle of the magic circle of the Grail System has been. It was positioned there for a reason, after all. **"Heaven's Feel."** I uttered as I activated the skill to the max on myself. **"Connection to the Root."** I then added and forced the two skills to combine even as I pushed their mixed energy outwards into a single point, causing a black hole edged in swirling blue prana to manifest. Then, without hesitation, I stepped halfway into it and stopped there, allowing the new knowledge and power to feel me, inwardly feeling it all click in place before the hole faded, leaving me standing there.

Smiling at the success I knew it had to be, I turned my attention to the notice windows that had popped up.

 **You have killed Servant Berserker, Cu Chulainn Alter! +70.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have killed Servant Archer, EMIYA Alter! +65.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have killed Servant Archer, Alcides Alter! +95.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have killed Servant Avenger, Jeanne d'Arc Alter! +100.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have defeated the Evil God Angra Mainyu! +500.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have killed the Servant Avenger, Angra Mainyu! +10.000.000XP.**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have attained the Third True Magic, Heaven's Feel! +100.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **Your Magic Circuits have reached Quality Rank EX!**

 **You have gained the title True Magician / Sorcerer!**

 **Heaven's Feel. Active/Passive. LV Max. The Miracle of Materialization of the Soul. Passively +500%VIT, +500%MP, +500%MPR. The holder of this skill is spiritually Immortal, no longer dependent of physical limitations.**

 **You have gained the title Immortal!**

 **Immortal. Passive. LV Max. Instant-Kill attack that would have otherwise killed you on the spot now merely deal crippling damage to you.**

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer, True Magician, Immortal**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 536 Next Level: 22,2%**

 **HP: 1.062.637,5/ 1.062.637,5**

 **MP: .831,25/** **.831,25**

 **HPR: 4258,15% per min**

 **MPR: 3951,7% per min**

 **STR: 13.322,5**

 **VIT: 42.481,5**

 **DEX: 14.125,5**

 **INT: 34.255,5**

 **WIS: 34.317**

 **LUCK: 9599,5**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2675**

 **Money: ¥**

"Sweet." I grinned widely. "I did it."

"Congratulations, Shirou." Sakura smiled warmly.

"Well done, Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo cheered.

"As expected of our Praetor! Umu!" Nero nodded.

"I can just see father having a heart-attack when he hears that Kiritsugu's son now holds the Third True Magic." Irisviel giggled.

"Thank you." I smiled. "Now, Nero, Tamamo, have you decided what to do?"

"Yes, Goshujin-sama. Since it is unlikely our static natures will change much even if we have physical bodies of our own due to our souls, we would prefer if you Materialize our souls rather than Incarnate us." Tamamo explained.

"Plus, Astral Form is quite handy." Nero grinned.

"Alright, if you're sure." I smile as I placed a hand on either of their chests. **"Heaven's Feel."** I uttered and infused them with my newly gained power, instantly making them independent of my prana supply and at the same time resistant to Gaia's rejection.

"Mmm, this feels far more… alive." Nero remarked as she experimentally touched her body.

"True." The fox-girl agreed.

"I'll call it a success." I chuckled. "Now, why don't you four head on ahead home. I'll catch up with you." I assured them. "I have a couple more stops to make."

"Alright, good luck, Shirou." Sakura gave me an encouraging smile.

With a quick **Tροψα** , I teleported directly to the Kotomine Church and, after quickly checking if there was anyone nearby, I drew on the power of the **Kaleidoscope** and let it fill me, flashes of parallel versions him flashing through my mind's eye and simultaneously dismissed even as I proceeded to use his **Connection to the Root** skill and combined their energies before focusing the mix into the space before me.

The result was a rift in the fabric or reality, glowing with every colored imagined and more, a Kaleidoscope of colors as they say… and I stepped right into the rift and stopped there before allowing the new knowledge and power to fill me and settle into my being until I felt it click, at which point the rift faded.

 **You have attained the Second True Magic, Kaleidoscope! +100.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **Your True Magician / Sorcerer Title has been upgraded to Dual-Sorcerer!**

 **Kaleidoscope. Active/Passive. LV Max. The Miracle of Operation of Parallel Worlds. Passively +5000 INT, +5000 WIS.**

Nodding to myself, I quickly activated **Akashic Sight** and **Projected** a knife using which I rapidly severed all traces of what I have done with the exception of the **Gate** in that location now being closed, remembering my own words to Aozaki Aoko. A quick **Tροψα** took me back to the now empty Ten no Sakazuki and did the same there before using **Tροψα** once more to go to the place I, Emiya Shirou, was effectively been born at.

Fuyuki Memorial Park.

It no longer held the unsettling feeling of being cursed, I having extracted all of Angra Mainyu's curses within Fuyuki outside the Greater Grail itself over a year prior and helped Sakura claim them for herself. Even so, the vegetation was only beginning to return to this place.

Shaking my head, I tapped into my **Magic Blue** and then into the **Connection to the Root**. This time, however, I did not push the mixed energies outside myself to form a **Gate**. No, my own body was to become the **Gate** and I embraced it even as I activated **Akashic Sight** for further guidance.

I felt my very being pulled in two opposite directions, on one side aging to dust and then nothingness while on the other I de-aged to an embryo and then nothingness. Then, both sides of me arrived at the end and beginning of time respectively, becoming one once more in the Void as I approached what I perceived as the only light in existence… only for several figures to block my path, one cloaked in red that I felt was familiar.

In ordinary circumstances, this would be the end of me, caught and erased from existence by not one but a group of Counter Guardians. No Magecraft had power here, only Magic which I was still in the process of obtaining.

However, these were not normal circumstances. I was not just a Magus. I was also a Magician, twice over. And, more importantly, I was a Gamer. And I did what I was best at.

I cheated.

With a surge of the **Kaleidoscope** , blades of prana manifested and cut along the Lines of Death I could see upon the Counter Guardians with my **Akashic Sight** while with a surge of the **Heaven's Feel** I was engulfed in a protective aura of prana that also propelled me further, past the torn-apart Counter Guardians, until I could fill the power and knowledge of the **Magic Blue** fill me, becoming complete within me.

For a moment, I was tempted to push forward, Akasha, the Root of All, within my sight and nearly in my grasp… but I remembered that it was likely not worth it even if my existence survived it. I was already rather alienated of the rest of the world due to the sheer difference in power and becoming a Magician trice over would only make it worse. I did not want to consider what Omnipotence and Omniscience was like.

With a sigh, I turned back and willed myself to return to where I left from, all but instantly fading from the Void and instead appearing back in the Fuyuki Memorial Park where I promptly erased all traces of my actions outside of the closed **Gate**.

 **You have attained the Fifth True Magic, Magic Blue! +200.000.000XP**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **You have increased in level by 1!**

 **Your Dual-Sorcerer Title has been upgraded to Triple-Sorcerer!**

 **Magic Blue. Active/Passive. LV Max. The Miracle of Operation of Time Periods. Passively +500 VIT, +500 DEX.**

 **Your 'Connection to the Root' Skill has been upgraded to Rank A!**

 **Name: Emiya Shirou**

 **Class: The Gamer**

 **Title: Faker; Undead Slayer; Immortal Slayer; Type-Fake; Demon Slayer; Dragon Slayer, Triple-Sorcerer, Immortal**

 **Age: 17**

 **Level: 542 Next Level: 22,2%**

 **HP: 1.146.262,5/ 1.146.262,5**

 **MP: .706,25/** **.706,25**

 **HPR: 4592,65% per min**

 **MPR: 5796,7% per min**

 **STR: 13.322,5**

 **VIT: 45.826,5**

 **DEX: 15.220,5**

 **INT: 52.705,5**

 **WIS: 52.767**

 **LUCK: 9599,5**

 **Elemental Affinity: Sword**

 **Origin: Sword**

 **Point: 2705**

 **Money: ¥**

With a smile of supreme satisfaction and about as much smugness, I promptly used **Tροψα** to teleport right outside the gates of my home and stepped through feeling more relaxed and relieved then even, arriving just in time to witness Irisviel and Illya's tearful reunion.

" _All's well that ends well."_ I smiled at the heartwarming sight…

… so naturally Fate decided to ruin my day via the appearance of Zelretch waiting inside and helping himself to the contents of my fridge.

 **A.N.: That's all for now.**


End file.
